Rush Reunion Inspired by Advice from Paul McCartney: ‘You’re Quite Good, You Know’

A Rush reunion is on the horizon, and we apparently have Paul McCartney to thank.

Earlier this week, the Canadian prog-rock icons announced their 2026 Fifty Something headline tour. Original members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will pay tribute to the band’s music and the legacy of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

It marks the first time the Rush will tour together since their R40 40th anniversary tour in 2015 — which Lee recently said was an “incorrect” decision to end the string of shows at 30.

In an interview with New York classic rock radio station Q104.3, the band’s guitarist, Alex Lifeson, shared details about the group coming back together, revealing that Paul McCartney encouraged him and frontman Geddy Lee to reunite the band.

The pair exchanged words backstage at a tribute concert to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in London three years ago.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s Paul McCartney standing beside me’. I’m having a drink with him, and we’re talking, I’m making him laugh, I’m joking around,” recalls Lifeson.

Impersonating McCartney’s British accent, he retells the conversation, adding, “He said, ‘I don’t really know much about your band, I know the name, but I don’t really know the material. You’re quite good, you know. Are you touring?'”

He continues: “Geddy said, ‘No, we’re not, you know, our drummer passed, and we haven’t been touring and Alex is not really interested anymore.”

“He said, ‘Oh no, you should definitely be touring," Lifeson adds, reverting back to his McCartney impression. "I said, ‘In that case, how about you manage us?’ He laughed, and said, ‘Oh, right, you’ve got a deal – I’ll do it.”

Lifeson says he then took the joke a bit too far. “I made a mistake then, as I said, ‘In that case, why don’t you be our caterer as well?’ I immediately regretted it because he’s vegan.”

A few days before the interview, at an invite-only Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Foster Theater event, Lee explained that the reunion was organically born.

“It was a very difficult decision on many levels, first of all, because what it entails in terms of work, but also what had transpired. Losing a member like Neil, it was devastating and it was a very sad time, and it took time for us to even contemplate it.”

He continued: “I would say it was kind of out of the question for the longest time because of those circumstances. And how do you replace someone who's irreplaceable?”

While Lifeson and Lee were hanging out regularly, playing Rush songs for fun, bringing them to the stage was never a conversation — until now. “We were laughing so hard and we were enjoying it so much. And it was almost like playing those songs dispelled the dark clouds,” Lee shared.

On next year’s tour, drummer and musician Anika Nilles, who previously worked with the late Jeff Beck, will be filling in for Peart. Lee says they hope to add "another musician or two" to expand the sound and "free up Alex and I, in order to show off some of our new fancy dance steps."

The moment is set to be major for the remaining Rush members and Lee's friend and collaborator, FACTOR CEO Meg Symsyk. Lee recently surprised her with a heartfelt congratulations video when she was awarded the Billboard Canada Women in Music Champion Award.

The band will play four Canadian dates at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on August 7, 9, 11 and 13.