Eleven years is a long time to wait for a band to play one song. Rush made it count anyway.
On March 29, 2026, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee performed at the Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario — their first live performance under the Rush banner since 2015. The show also marked the live debut of their new drummer, Anika Nilles, who will join the band on the upcoming Fifty Something tour.
The song they played: "Finding My Way" — track one, side one of Rush's self-titled 1974 debut album. Why that one? Lee's reasoning post-show was characteristically practical: "You really can't ask us what song to play. If we have to choose one song, it's almost impossible. We have so many. So we just asked management, and they said first song, first album." Lifeson added: "Also, it's the only song we know how to play."
Lifeson played Les Paul. Lee played his Seafoam Green Fender Jazz Bass. Keyboardist Loren Gold — who'll also be on the tour — rounded out the four-piece. Behind them, footage of Neil Peart played on screen.
Nilles, for her part, did exactly what a debut under that kind of weight requires: she played well and didn't disappear into the moment. Stepping in for the late Neil Peart isn't a gig where you're expected to channel anyone — it's a gig where you're expected to be yourself and not collapse. She wasn't visibly collapsing.
The Fifty Something tour kicks off June 7 at the Forum in Los Angeles. What started as a limited 22-show North American run has since expanded to include the UK, Europe, and South America, with 2027 dates added.
Worth noting for the guitarists in the room: Lifeson is 72 years old and just played his first live show in over a decade with a new drummer, in front of a televised national awards audience. Joe Perry recently talked about adapting his string gauge as arthritis kicked in at 75. Different problems, same underlying message: the instrument doesn't care how old you are, and apparently neither do the guitarists who've been playing it for fifty years.
The full performance is on YouTube. Search "Rush Finding My Way 2026 Juno Awards."
Source: Guitar World (Janelle Borg, 30 March 2026)