Has GEDDY LEE 'Seen Any Signs' That NEIL PEART Is 'With' RUSH On 'Fifty Something' Tour? He Responds

In a new interview Joanne Wilder of the Toronto rock radio station Q107, RUSH bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee was asked if  he has "seen any signs" that iconic drummer Neil Peart is with him and his bandmates as they continue their "Fifty Something" comeback tour, which launched in early June in Los Angeles. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Laughs] Spooky question. Well, it's funny. I'll tell you a little story. After the opening night, we were staying in L.A., and I was texting Al [RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson]. We were in the same hotel, but we were texting each other. And so my door to my room was open a crack. And I don't know if you've seen the posters [promoting the 'Fifty Something' tour] that have two birds on a wire and the one bird is flying away. I looked in front of me on the floor, and there was a bird on the floor that looked just like that bird in the poster. And I was kind of shocked. And I love birds, so I approached it, and it flew by me and flew into my bedroom and sat on the edge of my bed. And when I approached it, it was like it was looking at me, and then it flew out the door. So I quickly ran to the computer and was texting Al this crazy story that just had happened.

"Now, I'm not a guy who believes in all that mumbo jumbo," Geddy admitted. "But it was a kind of remarkable moment. And as I was texting him, the bird returned and just stuck its head in the doorway, like to give me another nod. And then I said, 'Okay, bye,' and it flew away. It was a crazy, crazy [thing to happen]."

Peart died on January 7, 2020 in Santa Monica, California after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH announced Peart's passing three days later, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

In 2022, Lee revealed that Peart wanted to keep his cancer diagnosis a secret prior to his death.

"[Peart] didn't want anyone to know [about his illness]," Lee said on Canadian talk show "House Of Strombo". "He just didn't. He wanted to keep it in the house. And we did. And that was hard. I can't tell you it was easy, 'cause it was not easy. And it was ongoing. His diagnosis was… he was given 18 months at the most, and it went on three and a half years. And so that was a constant flow of us going to see him, giving him support."

Lee went on to say that he and Lifeson had to be "dishonest" to fans in order to protect Peart's privacy.

"What his family had to live through was really difficult, so it was a lot of back-and-forth," he said. "And when you're in that state, it's very hard to function normally, because you can't talk to anybody about it, 'cause no one's supposed to know. And so people hear rumblings and they bring things up to you, and you deflect it. And so that feels, on one hand, it feels dishonest, but on the other hand you're being loyal to your friend. So fuck the dishonesty part. That wins."

He continued: "I would say that was the most difficult time for us to move forward, during that whole thing, because we were in this bubble of grief sort of walking towards an inevitable and terrible conclusion."

RUSH is currently on the road with Anika Nilles, a German drummer who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022, and newly added keyboardist Loren Gold, who is best known as touring member of THE WHO and CHICAGO. The June 7 show at Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California was the kick-off gig of the "Fifty Something" tour, which marks RUSH's first with the band's revamped lineup of classic members Lee (vocals, bass) and Lifeson (guitar) alongside Nilles and Gold.

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.