Alex Lifeson continues to shoot down any talk of a RUSH reunion, despite continuing to jam weekly with guitarist/bassist Geddy Lee. In fact, Lifeson says that a reunion would only make the legendary band a “top RUSH tribute band.”
In a new interview, Lifeson revealed that weekly jam sessions with Geddy are a fixture on his calendar, and the two still play RUSH songs.
“As you get older, it’s good to jam with friends,” Lifeson told Classic Rock. “I need to play. Once a week I go to Ged’s house – it’s on the calendar – keep my fingers moving and play RUSH stuff and new jams. I’m recording. But I couldn’t even begin to say where it would go yet.”
That led Lifeson to reflect on his reunion with Geddy on stage at the Taylor Hawkins memorial concert in 2022. Naturally, RUSH’s legacy came up in the conversation, and following the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020, the possibility of a reunion, or lack thereof, came up.
“Some days I wake up and want to go out and tour again, and some days I don’t,” Lifeson admitted. “Neil has been part of RUSH for 40 years, but I don’t think a new version together would have the same magic.”
Lifeson looked back fondly on RUSH’s final farewell show in 2015.
“RUSH put on one of the best stage shows on ‘R40’ and performed better than ever,” he said. “I think I would rather be remembered for that accomplishment than to go back as the head of a RUSH tribute band.”
Although it’s not an official RUSH reunion, Lifeson and Lee have talked about playing together again and writing new songs, in addition to weekly jam sessions. Geddy reportedly said in 2023 that there are “endless possibilities” for such a collaboration, and the two have recently appeared together (including at the aforementioned Taylor Hawkins concert and Gordon Lighthood tribute show). We have shared the stage several times.
Meanwhile, Lifeson just released a new album with his band Envy of None. The band’s second LP, Stygian Wavz, will be released on March 14th and is available for pre-order in a variety of formats on Amazon or the band’s official webstore.
