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Rush began their first tour in over a decade on Sunday night with their first of four shows at The Forum in LA. The venue was also the site of their last show — August 15, 2015 — which also turned out to be the final show with their original power trio lineup — drummer Neil Peart died in 2020 from an aggressive form of brain cancer.
On the drums is German virtuoso and viral sensation Anika Nilles, who has been almost unanimously accepted by Rush’s fan community, and surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were also augmented by keyboardist Loren Gold who has also played with The Who and Chicago.
Sunday’s show began with a satirical short film, “Where’s Rush?,” where some teenagers trying to find Rush in a haunted castle and featured frontman Geddy Lee as his sausage maker character, Jason Segel and Paul Rudd (reprising their Funny or Die Rush fan characters) as well as South Park characters as “Lil’ Rush.” The band then kicked off the night with “Xanadu” which has has never been a show-opening song before. The first set included “Limelight,” “Far Cry,” “Subdivisions,” “Caravan,” “Vital Signs,” and more with a Neil Peart tribute collage shown during “Bravado.” The first set ended with “The Spirit of the Radio.”
The second set opened with the three-part “2112,” and also included Aimee Mann welcomed to the stage to perform 1987’s “Time Stand Still” which she sang on the studio version. This was the first time she’d ever performed the song live with the band, though. There was also “Distant Early Warning,” “YYZ,” “Dreamline,” and more, plus another tribute to Peart, more pre-recorded sketches, and the South Park kids return to intro the second set’s final number, “Tom Sawyer” which they call “Huckleberry Finn.”
Rush then returned for a two-song encore of “By-Tor & The Snow Dog,” which they hadn’t played live since 2004, and finally “Working Man.” As the night ended there was a final Neil Peart tribute.
Check out video and setlist from Sunday’s show below.
Rush’s tour hits NYC for four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden on July 28 & 30 and August 1 & 3.
SETLIST: Rush @ Kia Forum 6/7/2026
Set 1:
Xanadu
Limelight
Far Cry
(with touring band introductions)
Subdivisions
Freewill
Bravado
Caravan
La Villa Strangiato
Vital Signs
The Spirit of Radio
Set 2:
2112 Part I: Overture
2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
Distant Early Warning
Red Barchetta
Dreamline
Natural Science
Time Stand Still (with Aimee Mann)
Red Sector A
YYZ
The Garden)
Tom Sawyer
Encore:
By-Tor & The Snow Dog
Working Man
Continue reading...
On the drums is German virtuoso and viral sensation Anika Nilles, who has been almost unanimously accepted by Rush’s fan community, and surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were also augmented by keyboardist Loren Gold who has also played with The Who and Chicago.
Sunday’s show began with a satirical short film, “Where’s Rush?,” where some teenagers trying to find Rush in a haunted castle and featured frontman Geddy Lee as his sausage maker character, Jason Segel and Paul Rudd (reprising their Funny or Die Rush fan characters) as well as South Park characters as “Lil’ Rush.” The band then kicked off the night with “Xanadu” which has has never been a show-opening song before. The first set included “Limelight,” “Far Cry,” “Subdivisions,” “Caravan,” “Vital Signs,” and more with a Neil Peart tribute collage shown during “Bravado.” The first set ended with “The Spirit of the Radio.”
The second set opened with the three-part “2112,” and also included Aimee Mann welcomed to the stage to perform 1987’s “Time Stand Still” which she sang on the studio version. This was the first time she’d ever performed the song live with the band, though. There was also “Distant Early Warning,” “YYZ,” “Dreamline,” and more, plus another tribute to Peart, more pre-recorded sketches, and the South Park kids return to intro the second set’s final number, “Tom Sawyer” which they call “Huckleberry Finn.”
Rush then returned for a two-song encore of “By-Tor & The Snow Dog,” which they hadn’t played live since 2004, and finally “Working Man.” As the night ended there was a final Neil Peart tribute.
Check out video and setlist from Sunday’s show below.
Rush’s tour hits NYC for four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden on July 28 & 30 and August 1 & 3.
SETLIST: Rush @ Kia Forum 6/7/2026
Set 1:
Xanadu
Limelight
Far Cry
(with touring band introductions)
Subdivisions
Freewill
Bravado
Caravan
La Villa Strangiato
Vital Signs
The Spirit of Radio
Set 2:
2112 Part I: Overture
2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
Distant Early Warning
Red Barchetta
Dreamline
Natural Science
Time Stand Still (with Aimee Mann)
Red Sector A
YYZ
The Garden)
Tom Sawyer
Encore:
By-Tor & The Snow Dog
Working Man
Continue reading...