ANIKA NILLES On Nailing 'Tom Sawyer' Fill At Her First Show With RUSH: 'Five Seconds Before, I Was, Like, 'Don't F*** It Up.'

In an interview with Modern Drummer's David Frangioni, filmed in July 2026, Anika Nilles, the German fusion drummer who was selected to sit behind the drum kit for RUSH's 2026 and 2027 tours, spoke about the task of stepping in for the band's late drummer Neil Peart.

Nilles, who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022, has hit the road with bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson as part of RUSH's comeback trek, dubbed "Fifty Something". Also appearing with them is keyboardist Loren Gold, who is best known as touring member of THE WHO and CHICAGO.

Referencing the fact that Lifeson and Lee previously revealed that they initially had doubts about whether Nilles would be the right fit for the group and the right musician to succeed Peart, after their first rehearsals together, Anika said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "There was a moment where I also thought on day four [of our first rehearsals], 'I'm not sure if I'm up to that task.' Because we talked about the feeling, and I think it was day four with 'Tom Sawyer', where I had to learn about Neil's feeling really quick, like within that one session I had to learn what they really require from me feeling-wise, and I had to understand what Neil's feeling really was to them — to them. And I went back to the hotel after this session, and I just went through all the talk we had and tried to figure it and really internalize what they told me. And I listened back. I sat in the hotel room on a pillow to replay the parts — no practice kit; pillows. And I also had a talk to my producer, a guitarist, and he is a big RUSH guy. He listened to RUSH a lot as he was younger. He gave me also confidence: 'You will nail it. You just have to listen to the songs a couple of times more' and apply the feedback [I got from Geddy and Alex]. And then the next day, it was there. I think I got it. Sleeping one night over everything definitely helped."

Anika also reflected on the audible reaction she received from the RUSH fans after she flawlessly executed the iconic "Tom Sawyer" fill during the opening show of the "Fifty Something" tour on June 7 at Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. She said: "Yeah, I was a little bit, like, 'Oh, what's going on?' But, yeah, it felt really good to just bring that one out off the table. That was the most important song, I think, for the fans, and also for me to just nail that. And that was such a relief. Five seconds before the fill, I was, like, 'Okay, let's go. Don't fuck it up. And let's go.' [Laughs] Maybe that was the thought to fans too. I don't know. [Laughs]."

Earlier in the year, Lifeson told Classic Rock magazine about his and Lee's initial rehearsals with Nilles: "We rehearsed for four days, and on the fourth day Ged and I sat down and we weren’t sure. It wasn't quite working with the three of us. We were thinking that maybe we should continue with someone else, just to see how that might feel. And on the fifth day, on the last day that we rehearsed, she took all our comments about feel, about Neil's feel and the way he played, and being very cognizant of the ability that he had, and — bang! She nailed the songs all day. It was a real 'Wow!' moment."

Lee added: "She suddenly changed gears, just like Al said, and it all suddenly clicked. She took all that information, processed it, and applied it. That was the real turning point. We were playing, and she was smiling, and we had this eye contact. For a long time I've had that drummer/bass player eye contact thing, and that's so important to me, and it was so much fun. And I thought, 'Man, if she comes on this ride, it's going to be so good for us because she brings a whole different energy.' It's wonderful."

In a recent interview with Thomann's Drum Bash, Nilles was asked if she was familiar with the RUSH music before being approached to play with Lee and Lifeson. Nilles said:  "Actually, I was familiar with Neil as a drummer, especially in combination with the song 'Tom Sawyer'. That's a classic in the drum community, of course. But I haven't really listened to RUSH music, even if I was growing up with rock music and progressive music. But for some reason I never stumbled into the RUSH catalog."

Regarding how she prepared for the "Fifty Something" tour and how she learned the material that is being performed on the trek, Anika said: "I treat the music with great respect to the guys and also to Neil's parts, because Neil is a big part of the music. And so I try to make careful decisions with a great deal of sensitivity of what I'm playing original and where there is room for me to play more free or more me or more improvising. But I go from song to song and make these decisions. And this [was] actually my preparation at home. So my homework [was], first off, to learn the songs because every song is kind of a blank page to me. So I really [had] to start from zero, learning the arrangements and learning the drum composition within the actual song arrangement. So Neil's way to play the drums is basically an own composition, and this is what I mean. I treat it with great respect because that's a huge skill he brought into it, and I wanna honor that. And so I have to make these decisions really careful song by song, what I'm playing on original and where I go more free. And this [was] my preparation at home, but when we rehearse[d], then it [was] kind of a thing that we [had] more attention to the energy and to the feel of the song. And then we look[ed] back if my decisions were working out or if there [was] anything to adjust."

On the topic of which RUSH song was most challenging to learn, Anika said: "Every RUSH song is complex and difficult to learn. It's so rich of details in every way. I mean, the arrangement itself is full of details, but the drum parts are full of details, so it's complex and a lot of things to learn and to memorize."

Asked if playing the RUSH songs with Lee and Lifeson has shifted her perspective on drumming, Anika said: "To be able to play Neil's parts needs to have a research on his playing and really study his playing and his feeling and the way he organized himself on the drums. Like, if it's the colors he's using, like the different drum sounds he's using or the musical approach to this instrument. And while studying all of that, I learn a lot, of course. Especially about his way of composing the drum parts is really interesting to me, because I love doing that on my own music, too, and he is really, really good in that, and I learned a couple of things already which I might adapt to my music at some point. So, yeah, [I was] definitely learning things while studying his parts and the music."

Anika also talked about her personal and musical chemistry with Lee and Lifeson, explaining: "If you know those two guys, they are so funny and they're so human. And that made it really easy to connect to each other. So they treated me immediately, from first minute on, on the same level. I mean, they are legends. They could be whatever — whatever, arrogant or whatever. They are not. They are funny. They are so human. And this is a way where you have easy access to each other. But also they love to play music. They are very enthusiastic when it comes to play music. They love working on details. They are detailed when they work together, and you see them having fun and the energy they both have together, and I really can connect with that attitude. So I love energetic music. I love when someone is really focused on music and working on details. These are all points where I see myself also with my music. So it's a way, I think, which made it all easy for us to connect with each other. And that happened, actually, I would say immediately."

In an interview with the Brazilian TV show Fantástico, Geddy and Alex were asked why they chose a jazz/fusion/prog drummer to step in for Peart on the "Fifty Something" tour as opposed to someone from a RUSH tribute band or a well-known rock drummer, such as DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy. Geddy replied: "Well, there's a few reasons for that. First of all, I think Alex and I wanted to stay away from the obvious comparisons. When you are working with a drummer from this famous band or that famous band, it's just too easy to make comments. You know what the Internet's like, you know what fans could be like arguments. So I think what appealed to us about Anika — first of all, we were so thrilled to see how well she plays and her technical ability. And it never really occurred to us that she came from a different genre of music. So I think we wanted somebody fresh, someone that had a story, someone whose story would be welcomed by our fans. And I think Anika fits that bill completely."

As for whether Lee and Lifeson consciously made the decision to pick someone outside the rock genre to play with them on the upcoming tour, Alex said: "We never really talked about that, because that was never really a concern or an issue. As far as I was concerned personally, I went back and forth on the idea of going back on the road. I did other projects, and I kept pretty busy. And I just didn't know if I wanted to go through the whole thing of touring and being on the road. But Geddy and I got together and we started playing some stuff, and invariably we started playing some RUSH songs, and we really had fun and we realized how much we love playing. I mean, we're very good friends — everybody knows that; we've been friends for a long time — but we were just having so much fun playing the songs, and after not having played them for a while, they were challenging to play. So that made it even more fun. And then we started talking about, what about the idea of maybe sharing this? And the more we talked about it, the more interesting that idea sounded and it kind of took on a life of its own. And now here we are with a full-fledged tour."

Lee added: "Well, the short answer, which Alex didn't really answer, the reason we never discussed what style of drummer we want was because we had no plans to come back on the road. And when suddenly the story that he just told happened, we said, 'Okay, now we need a drummer. Do you know any?'"

RUSH is performing multiple shows in cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico. These special "evening with" shows find the band playing two sets each night. Each show features a distinct selection of songs, and RUSH builds each night's setlist from a catalog of around 40 tracks, including its greatest hits and fan favorites.

After Lee and Lifeson announced RUSH's initial 2026 tour dates in early October 2025, they instantly sold out. They then doubled the tour's length due to increased demand before adding even more dates to the trek.

Nilles, who has more than 280,000 subscribers on YouTube, toured with English rocker Jeff Beck in 2022 and was praised in 2023 by Lee, who told The Guardian at the time: "She played on the last Jeff Beck tour, and I thought she was terrific."

Nilles's official Instagram account, which is filled with her drumming videos, boasts more than 600,000 followers.