RUSH surprised fans on Monday morning with the announcement of a 2026 North American tour , marking their first shows in 11 years. Even more surprising may have been their choice of drummer to fill the shoes of the late Neil Peart: the relatively unknown Anika Nilles .

Interestingly, RUSH frontman Geddy Lee first mentioned Nilles’ name in a 2023 interview with The Guardian , saying, “I heard this drummer the other day, I think her name is Anika. She played on the last Jeff Beck tour and I thought was she was terrific.”

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On Sunday night, October 5th, at a press event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (as transcribed by Ultimate Classic Rock ), Lee revealed how Nilles became RUSH’s new drummer. Related Video

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