Rush has appeared nearly flawless during their return to live shows in 2026 for good reason, and remarkably, much of that actually stems from mistakes!

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are seasoned veterans who have played the same songs thousands of times, but performing with a new drummer meant thoroughly examining every detail in rehearsal.

How Does Rush Prepare for Mistakes?

Lee, Lifeson, and new drummer Anika Nilles recently sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone, where they discussed preparations for the band’s current Fifty Something Tour.

The shows mark Rush’s first since 2015. They also represent the first performances with Nilles behind the drums, replacing Neil Peart, who passed away in 2020.

The trio spent months rehearsing before launching the tour. Understandably, there were a few mishaps during the early sessions. Such occurrences are common when a band has never played together, especially with the group’s most experienced duo shaking off some natural rust.

“During our early rehearsals, if one of us made a mistake, we would stop and play the song again,” Lee explained.

However, by the end of rehearsals, Rush decided to change their approach. They began to embrace any mistakes or mishaps.

“Toward the end of rehearsals, we started to play through any mistake or mishap that might occur because we had to be prepared for that during a show,” Lee said.

The Opening Night Mishap Rush Was Prepared For

It didn’t take long for Rush’s disaster preparedness to come into play as they encountered a situation during “Xanadu,” the opening song of the first show of the tour.

READ MORE: 29 Big Rock + Metal Bands Who Have Canceled or Postponed Shows in 2026

Unbeknownst to most of the audience, one of Nilles’ drumsticks fell from her hand right in the middle of one of the song’s key drum fills. Nilles was asked what was going through her mind at that moment.

“Maybe ‘(do) not mess up this fill.’ And then I saw this stick flying around over the toms and I just caught it.”

Rush was indeed ready for this moment. The fact that this occurred during the first show of the tour on June 7, and is only being discussed now, speaks volumes about the success of the band’s approach.

How Did a New Drummer Help Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson ‘Learn’ Parts of Rush Songs?

Even though she was the only new member in the band, Nilles was not alone in learning Rush songs.

“We were learning as Anika was learning,” Lee said about early rehearsals. “We were realizing how different Neil’s feel is from other styles of play.”

He believes that having Nilles in the band has enhanced his and Lifeson’s understanding of Peart’s compositions.

WATCH: Rush Interview With Rolling Stone

“Sometimes Anika would message me asking, ‘What time is this part in?’ I would respond, ‘I don’t know.’

Lee would have to revisit the song and count out the beats to determine the time signature. This process helped him gain a better understanding of songs he recorded with Rush years ago.

“I realized we wrote parts as musical passages, and we would create unusual musical sections in off time signatures without needing to count them because we would just connect various phrases together instinctively.”

The North American leg of Rush’s Fifty Something Tour continues throughout the rest of 2026. A complete list of dates is available on the band’s website.

Keep reading for a look at the least-played songs from every Rush album.