Geddy Lee knows some Rush fans will never accept the band’s decision to continue without late drummer Neil Peart. What impresses him most, however, is that Anika Nilles was willing to take on the challenge in the first place.
Speaking with Rick Beato, Lee defended Rush’s choice of Nilles for the band’s Fifty Something tour, calling the German drummer “an amazing talent” who brings “something fresh” to the group’s music.
“She’s got the right attitude,” Lee said. “She works hard, and she loves to play the same way we love to play.”
According to Lee, Nilles wasn’t selected after a lengthy search. In fact, she was the only drummer Rush seriously considered. Recommended by a member of Jeff Beck’s touring crew, Nilles first caught Lee’s attention for a potential solo project before discussions about the power trio’s return began.
We’re very lucky, because she’s the only drummer we thought of.”
— Geddy Lee
“We’re very lucky, because she’s the only drummer we thought of,” Lee said.
Lee acknowledged that some fans wanted Rush to recruit a more famous drummer, but believes Nilles was the right fit. He also praised her willingness to face inevitable comparisons to Peart.
“Some people will never forgive us for going on with somebody else, and she has the guts to sit in that seat,” Lee said. “That’s not a small thing; that’s a huge thing.”
He stressed that bringing in a new drummer does nothing to diminish Peart’s legacy.
“When you hear her talk about Neil, she really understands and appreciates his greatness,” Lee said. “None of this that happens is diminishing his greatness by one iota.”
Preparing for the tour has presented a different challenge than Rush faced with Peart. Rather than working on new material, Lee and Alex Lifeson have been teaching Nilles how to navigate four decades of Rush’s famously intricate catalog. And that’s while Lee and Lifeson re-learn their own bass and electric guitar parts.
Although the drummer admits to having a “yikes” moment when playing their hit “Tom Sawyer,” Lee said that when everything clicks, the rewards are obvious.
“When all the tumblers fall into place, and she gets the vibe, and we’re just playing and smiling, it’s like, ‘This is going to be so much fun.’”
Rush launches its Fifty Something tour June 7 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, the same venue where the band appeared to play its final show 11 years ago.
