Review by Dennis Wolfe – Modern Drummer Advisory Board Member
Edited by Mark Griffith

 “She (Anika) really understands and appreciates his (Neil’s) greatness, and none of this that happens is diminishing his greatness by one iota.” Geddy Lee speaking with Rick Beato

LOS ANGELES – A daunting task, this: reviewing the first full-length Rush concert without Neil. So many emotions. So surreal.

The last Rush show I saw was also at The Forum on August 1, 2015, over ten years ago. It would be Neil’s last performance. But who could’ve known? I lucked into a pre-show meet’n’greet and got to say hello to Geddy and Alex, something they were STILL willing to do on the last show of the R40 tour, over 40 years into their touring career. But not Neil. Not his thing.

His tragic and untimely passing in January of 2020, right before the whole world shut down for the pandemic, seemed cruel and unusual punishment to those of us who held his work in such high esteem. Indeed, my first concert ever was their Grace Under Pressure tour, and Neil is of course the reason that I, and countless others, took up the drum kit in the first place. To think that Rush could ever take the stage again without him was unimaginable.

Until tonight.

Enter Anika Nilles. /ANN-ika Nilez/ Much has been written about her ascent to the holiest of drum thrones in rock history. It’s a mind-blowing story, really. Anika who? Filling in for Neil? For real? After all, Neil Peart is the textbook definition of GOAT, with dozens of MD Reader’s Poll wins, 10 cover features and his own Legends Book. He pushed the craft forward and inspired the broader drumming community on a global scale. This cannot be overstated. Advertisement

The burning question, of course, was could Anika play the parts faithfully, with conviction, precision and power, so that if we closed our eyes, we just might think Neil was still with us?

Before we answer that question, let’s talk a little bit about the show, the vibe and the scene as well as the lead up to this show.

For starters, when Geddy and Alex released their tour announcement video, Rush nation went properly bonkers. For their legions of devoted fans, ten years was a LONG time to not see the band, and with Neil’s passing, it was generally assumed this day would never come. The handling of clearly making this as much about a tribute as a concert, was perfectly managed. So much respect, care and thoughtfulness went into every moment, as only Rush and their team could introduce Anika to the world. Even the song performed at the Juno awards this year was perfectly selected as Neil did not originally play on that track (or album).

So, when I arrived at The Forum, it was like an emotional family reunion with a very specific uniform: dark jeans, glasses, and an authentic Rush t-shirt from your favorite era. And while this band has been around for over half a century, it was delightful to see the many younger fans who have discovered and embraced them as their own.

A perfect SoCal evening welcomed Rush to town, and the building was simply buzzing. Merch lines snaked throughout the concourse, with everyone clamoring to get a souvenir of this historic performance. Tough to beat opening night… Advertisement

And let me tell you: when the lights went down at The Forum, it was positively deafening in there, with the mostly middle-age, male crowd screaming with anticipation, rivaling a stadium full of Swifties!

A lengthy intro reel titled “Where’s Rush?” played on a giant video wall that was lowered in front of the stage and featured some familiar cameos and requisite comedic touches. Speaking of the stage, they chose a downtown rooftop motif, with satellite dishes, skylight windows and exhaust fans to complete the look.

And then came the fog – lots of it – as the opening notes from Xanadu rang through the PA. Yes, they opened with Xanadu. And it absolutely crushed.

A quick hello from Geddy and Alex with an emotional acknowledgement of Neil followed before they ripped off stellar versions of Limelight, Far Cry, Subdivisions and Freewill.

At this point the first of two extended tribute videos to Neil played out on the big screen. They both featured his own voice from prior interviews and spoke eloquently (as he always did) about how drumming featured so prominently in his life, that it was “an instrument of self-esteem”, and that he was a living paradox of order and chaos, planning and spontaneity, presence and restlessness. Clips of him playing aired behind the voiceover, and they were a powerful visual reminder of his ferocity behind the kit. Advertisement

The first set closed with an absolutely stunning performance of La Villa Strangiato, followed by Vital Signs and Spirit Of Radio. I should note here that the three extended instrumental songs they performed – La Villa Strangiato, 2112 Overture and YYZ – felt surprisingly tight and locked-in, despite their obvious length and complexity. This proved that they had put in the work and were more than prepared to play at the highest level (as only Rush can).

I should also note that there was no drum solo, and I think that was an appropriate omission despite its nightly feature in nearly every prior Rush show. That was Neil’s time to shine, and it appears that it will remain ever thus.

They took about a 25-minute break between sets as they have done on previous tours and set two opened with 2112. The usual audience call-and-response chants of “HEY!” landed perfectly, and the band was sufficiently warmed up at this point with some fun surprises yet to come. Advertisement

Distant Early Warning flowed nicely into “a song about a car”, the Moving Pictures classic Red Barchetta, which featured some exuberant bass guitar riffing over the outro by Geddy. He was clearly moved and just went for it.

Then came a series of unique choices: Dreamline, Natural Science, Time Stand Still and Red Sector A. Los Angeles indie darling Aimee Mann guested on Time Stand Still to voice her parts from the album version and the crowd erupted.

Then the iconic opening morse code bell sequence of YYZ brought everyone to their feet, with Anika and Geddy trading those legendary riffs and fills to perfection.

The Garden settled the energy levels for a moment before their magnum opus Tom Sawyer closed set two. Yes, Anika absolutely nailed it.

The encore featured two old-school favorites By-Tor & The Snow Dog and Working Man, and at that point Anika’s work was done for the evening – while for the long, grueling tour ahead, it had only just begun. Advertisement

So back to my original question: could she play the role she’s been asked to play? This is a very tough question, but from my perspective, the answer is: absolutely yes. Let me explain…

She played a brilliant show, propelled the band forward, never got lost, never cracked, never wavered. There were equal measures of smiling and focused sneering. (Neil rarely smiled on stage, but man could he sneer!)

The important fills were there, the important grooves were there, and most importantly, all of the uber-complex arrangements and odd time signatures were there.

I suspect that as the tour goes on, she will add more details as the songs crystallize through repeated performances. On night one, she did a truly admirable job, and while no drummer on earth could provide “Neil-perfect”, it had bravado, precision and unbelievable excellence. It was perfect for this moment, and I’m honored to have witnessed it.

I never once felt slighted, cheated or resentful that someone other than Neil Peart was playing drums for Rush. Geddy and Alex are PLAYERS, and players need to PLAY. The performance was a musical celebration of their decision to carry on, and for their incredibly fortuitous discovery of a kindred spirit in Anika. Neil was never big on the guiding hand of fate, but this night had the unmistakable sense of the stars aligning. I’m glad they did. Advertisement

Anika imbued everything with an energy, exuberance and dare I say playfulness that was all her own. The guys clearly responded to her, and seemed reborn in the best possible way.  These are not kids playing, as the name of the tour itself asserts, and yet they have clearly found a fountain of youth in retaking the stage with Anika. Geddy hit some VERY high notes (see Freewill), absolutely nailed his incredible bass parts, while Alex delivered his inimitable chords and solos with the fervor of a much younger gentleman.

The power of the band and their music was in full force and effect. Full stop. You could feel it. And speaking of feelings, there were many: exhilaration, mourning, nostalgia, hope, awe, and just pure joy. Few concert experiences can give you all of those. This one did.

Per Geddy himself, Anika just gets it. As told to Rick Beato in a recent interview while referencing Neil, Geddy said that “she really understands and appreciates his greatness, and none of this that happens is diminishing his greatness by one iota.” I wholeheartedly agree. If anything, it proves it all the more. It will be exciting to see over time how Anika’s own instincts and playing style impact the songs. Advertisement

The Rush 50 Something tour is off to a very impressive start, and if you’ve never seen the band before or seen them a hundred times, DO NOT MISS THIS!! Luckily, they are doing what they’ve done so many times over the past 50 years: mounting a relentless world tour of sold-out venues that goes on for months, so chances are they’ll be playing a city near you, likely for multiple nights. Did you ever think you’d be reading that sentence in 2026?

Rush is back – what a gift!

All the world’s indeed a stage, and these guys merely play it.