Drummer Anika Nilles, who has been tasked with filling the shoes of the legendary Neil Peart on RUSH’s recently announced 2026 North American comeback tour, has issued a statement thanking the band and its fans for a warm welcome.
As previously reported, RUSH’s classic members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are reuniting the band for its first shows in 11 years, and first concerts since the passing of Peart in January 2020. The prog-rock icons will play 23 shows in seven North American cities, including stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Toronto, among other markets.
Get RUSH Tickets Here
On her Instagram page, Nilles wrote the following message on Thursday:
“Hey there, the past few days have been quite overwhelming. I’m sure many of you feel the same. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank Geddy and Alex for their trust and for welcoming me on this incredible new journey with @rush. I also don’t want to miss the chance to warmly welcome all the new faces here and to thank you for your kind and open-minded words — they truly mean a lot. At the same time, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has followed and supported my journey over the years. We’re all in this together now, and I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead. xx anika”
Related Video
In the comments, fellow drummers congratulated Nilles, with Slipknot’s Eloy Casagrande writing, “I can’t wait to see you smashing with them. You deserve it!,” and Drumeo host Brandon Toews remarking, “Huge congrats!!
Meanwhile, Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy — a massive RUSH fan — wrote on his own Instagram page, “Incredible!!! I am soooo happy for Geddy & Alex!! And so excited for all of us Rush fanatics around the world! Congrats to @anika.nilles who I’m sure will be amazing… she’s awesome! This will be a beautiful way to pay tribute to Neil and to honor his and the bands legacy! I can’t wait to see this…”
Fans looking to purchase RUSH tickets can register for an artist pre-sale by signing up at this location by October 9th at 11:59 p.m. ET. The artist pre-sale begins Monday, October 13th at 12:00 p.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Additionally, Citi Cardmembers can access a special pre-sale beginning Friday, October 10th at 12:00 p.m. local time. A general ticket on-sale will follow on Friday, October 17th at 12:00 p.m. local time via Ticketmaster.
See Anika Nilles’ Instagram post below.