Geddy Lee explained why Rush aren’t currently considering making new music.

The singer and bassist stated that he recognized there was only a limited amount of time left in the band’s existence after he and guitarist Alex Lifeson ended their 11-year hiatus and returned to performing.

Lee and Lifeson both mentioned that they had never worked so hard as they prepared their set with new drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold.

“We had a schedule,” Lifeson told Radio Futuro in a recent interview (video below). We outlined what our rehearsal schedule would be, with an end date in May [2026], by which we needed to complete everything.

“Initially, 14 months seemed like plenty of time. We thought, ‘Oh, we’ll get it done!’ But in the last couple of weeks, it was like, ‘Oh my God, we really need to focus on this and put it all together!’”

Lee mentioned that he believed the rehearsals had been particularly challenging for Nilles, who was tasked with replacing the late Neil Peart.

“She had to learn around 43 songs in the span of a year, and those are not easy drum parts to master,” he said. “[S]she was working as hard, I think, as she’s ever worked on anything. [S]she would work diligently on her own, then come to Toronto sporadically for intense sessions with us.

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“I believe she found it much easier to collaborate with us in person because we have a unique chemistry, allowing us to reassure her about which parts are correct and how long they should be.”

He added: “[T]the last month [of rehearsals], as Alex mentioned, we performed a full show 24 nights out of 27 days. We’ve never put in that much effort in our entire lives. I’m grateful for it because on opening night, we were all quite nervous. All that rehearsal truly paid off.”

Lee explained how he tried to assist Nilles and Gold in adapting to the challenge. “I told them, ‘Look, these are complex songs. You will make mistakes. It’s not about the mistake – it’s about how you recover from it. Just play; keep playing and don’t worry.’

“I think this helped them relax a bit. … When you write a part, it becomes part of your DNA; you understand it inside out. But when you learn it as an outsider, you try to break it down into musical rules, and our songs don’t always follow those rules!”

Geddy Lee: There Are Only So Many Gigs Left in My Body

He continued: “I’m thrilled that we’re performing so well and that the musicians we’ve chosen to join us on stage have blended together so well. … I’m genuinely smiling up there.

“It’s a joyous moment for me, and I know there are only so many gigs left for me, so I’m going to enjoy them while I can.”

When asked if there was any possibility of new music, Lee replied firmly: “No. We have enough on our plate. We’re still trying to remember the old songs and play them!”

Watch Rush’s Lifeson and Lee Interview

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