Rush‘s Alex Lifeson has revealed that numerous drummers pitched auditions just minutes after Neil Peart’s death – find out more below.
The legendary drummer died in January 2020 after living with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma for three-and-a-half years. He was 67 years old. A tribute concert was held in Los Angeles, California the following September.
Rush have not returned with new music or live performances since Peart’s passing, though guitarist Lifeson has now revealed that several drummers reached out to replace Peart. Speaking to Q104.3, Lifeson was asked if he and bassist Geddy Lee have considered reforming the band with a new drummer.
Rush drummer Neil Peart performs at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 10, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rock trio are touring in support of the album, “Snakes & Arrows.” (CREDIT: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Lifeson responded: “Oh, well, yeah, of course, because we’re bombarded by it all the time. After Neil passed, it didn’t take more than a few minutes before we started getting e-mails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years who wrote all the lyrics for our music.”
He continued: “I don’t know what some of these people were thinking. So, yeah, we’ve had the conversation, because we can’t avoid it.”
Rush last performed together for a farewell tour in 2015 playing 35 headline shows across North America, having formed over four decades prior. In 2022, Lifeson and Geddy Lee reunited in public to perform as part of the tribute shows in Los Angeles and London for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Despite that show, Lifeson recently said that he is now satisfied where Rush left their tour in 2015 and ruled out any chance of the band getting back together. “The energy was fantastic around that show, I know, and some days I wake up wanting to go out and tour again and some days I don’t,” Lifeson explained. “For forty years Rush included Neil, and I don’t think putting some new version together would have the same magic.”
Rush perform live, 2015. CREDIT: Mat Hayward/Getty
Despite ruling out playing live again, Lifeson said that does still regularly jam with Lee and will continue to do so.
“It’s good to jam with friends as you get older,” he added. “I need to play. Once a week I go to Ged’s – it’s in the calendar – keep my fingers moving, play Rush stuff, new jams. We do record it, but I couldn’t even begin to tell you where it’ll go.”
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