The death of Rush drummer Neil Peart on January 7, 2020, was untimely. For Rush fans, the loss was compounded by the obvious fact that a band reunion was no longer possible. The group had called it quits in 2015, following a 40-year career.
The news may be looking a smidgen more hopeful for them, however. Guitarist Alex Lifeson has revealed that his relationship with bass player and vocalist Geddy Lee is as strong as ever and that the duo continue to jam and record together.
The two men haven’t exactly been strangers onstage in recent years. They performed with Dave Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in September 2002. In May 2024, they appeared as L+L at a tribute show to their fellow Canadian, the late Gordon Lightfoot. Lifeson also made a guest appearance during Lee’s My Effin Life book tour in 2023.
But Lifeson’s latest reveal is the first time we’ve heard about the two men getting together on a regular basis.
Lifeson told Classic Rock their sessions are planned. “Once a week I go to Ged’s – it’s in the calendar – keep my fingers moving, play Rush stuff, new jams,” he said.
“We do record it,” he confirms, “but I couldn’t even begin to tell you where it’ll go.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Lifeson said their initial jams sounded like “a really bad tribute band for the first three or four run-throughs.
“Then muscle memory kicks in, and we’re having a ball doing it. It’s good for the fingers,” he continued. “We’re together in a room like we’ve always been.”
However, Lifeson was resolute that their new work would not lead to a new version of Rush. “There’s no chance that we’re going to get a drummer and go back on the road as the rebirth of Rush or something like that,” he told Rolling Stone.
Lee, too, has also said little about it.
“Al and I are lifelong friends. We jam together once in a while, it’s true,” he admits. “That’s all I want to say about that right now.”
The two musicians had talked highly about their time returning to the stage with Grohl for a second Hawkins tribute in L.A., with Tool’s Danny Carey on drums. The drummer has since performed in Beat, the King Crimson legacy band featuring Adrian Belew, Steve Vai and bassist Tony Levin.
Sadly, Lifeson and Lee are not looking to resurrect the band that had bowed out across a 35-date R40 tour in 2015.
“After those two gigs and the months of prep Ged and I went through, I was excited by the response and to be in the dressing room again with so many fellow artists in Wembley and L.A. I respected and felt a kinship towards,” Lifeson says. “But after a few weeks, that wore off and it occurred to me that, despite all the pain of loss, Rush went out on a high note, playing as well as ever with one of our best stage shows on R40,” the group’s final tour.
“I guess I’d rather be remembered for that legacy than returning as the top Rush tribute band.”
For those wanting to hear new music from one of prog rock’s greatest electric guitar players, Lifeson released two new songs, “Not Dead Yet” and “Under the Stars” with his band Envy of None last year. A new album is slated for spring 2025.
