Profonde Musique
June 23, 2026
That is one mouth-full title. Mainly because I need to qualify that this week’s column is not meant to be demonstrative, pejorative or even lock-solid opining. I’m on the proverbial fence for this one. I mean only to ask the question and try and answer as best I can without insult or overt judging: Is it compelling for a legacy band to continue on without a key member? I have always been conflicted (less so now – will explain) when it comes to fractured versions of bands I love. This goes way back for me, as I was forced yet utterly enjoyed seeing bands like The Rolling Stones and The Who in their early-eighties iterations, by which I mean not currently the members of which who are in their eighties now, but the decade. Still, it’s become ever more prevalent in an age where rock music has slid off the side of the earth and much of its fanbase has retreated to modern country (which is essentially early aughts power pop songs about pickup trucks and beer) – am I already judgmental? – or the sight of ancient bands rolling out nostalgia tours with in some cases like Foreigner zero original members.
This question has returned due to a very surprising reuniting of bassist, singer, and songwriter, Geddy Lee and original guitarist and songwriter, Alex Lifeson to form a new victory-lap version of the once lauded if not mostly overlooked Canadian fusion power-trio, Rush. Not that it is surprising any legacy band fresh from a woefully overdue Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and Lee’s recent memoir, which included an extensive media tour, would consider hitting the road, despite the death of its dynamically unique drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart. These things happen all the time, and usually for summer. Take The Eagles, with several key members gone, most notably founder and major voice, Glenn Frey, who died ten years go. His son now takes his chores, which is heartwarmingly weird. There is also Journey without signature voice Steve Perry, and for a while Pink Floyd without mostly main songwriter and voice, Roger Waters, and on and on.
I initially thought the Pink Floyd thing was a little silly. Waters pretty much dominated the band’s final years and always lent the thematic lyrical thread to their songs, but he was and remains an unrepentant megalomaniac, who treated his bandmates like session cats to do his bidding. They were glad to jettison him when they disbanded and came back together in the 1980s for a mega-successful run, much to Waters chagrin. As guitarist, and songwriter, David Gilmour once mused, “I can play the local pub across the street from Madison Square Garden as David Gilmour or sell out the arena with Pink Floyd. What are you choosing?”
And far be it from me to begrudge musicians making a buck. Even aging famous ones. Since the Napster revolution and now streaming it is nearly impossible for anyone in the music industry to make any money on record sales (whatever that is these days) Everyone must tour. Even Taylor Swift, who sells more of everything than anyone. These Rush shows are selling out as fans clamor for a bit of rock nostalgia. And many of us are aging out anyway, so fuck it! This is why I eventually, some say inevitably, bagged this flimsy philosophy of purity in my bands, specifically in 2010 when I saw the last incarnation of KISS amble around MSG. I had a blast. Who cares who’s left wearing the make-up? Purity is for the young.
But back to Rush: Neil Peart was a vital cornerstone of the band, its themes, its drive, not to mention his mind-blowing drumming being non-parallel. When he died in 2020 at 67, Rush had been around in some form (Peart wasn’t even their original drummer or on their first album) for 58 years. It’s not like when Keith Moon or John Bonham died in their thirties when the bands they drove were still relevant – never mind lead singer of AC/DC, Bon Scott up and dying to leave the band to release the biggest selling rock album of all time, Back in Black in his wake with a replacement, Brian Johnson, who is still there today. This was a bunch of old guys making the call. Six years ago, in their late sixties, after decades behind them, Lee and Lifeson pretty much hung it up. But, ultimately, they’re musicians. Musicians play music. And they’re great friends, unlike Pink Floyd. So, they decided to do this legacy tour and it has been widely well received and attended. No one at these shows are conflicted in the least, if concert tickets sold is any indication. Those ain’t cheap these days. In fact, they’re deplorably over-priced no matter what budget you’re working with. People must have really wanted to see Rush, Neil Peart or not.
And this is to not even to broach Rush’s fabulous current drummer, Anika Nilles, a 43-year-old German virtuoso who previously toured with the late Jeff Beck’s band. Watching clips of this woman absolutely crush some of the most intricate drum patterns and time signature shifts in popular music history on YouTube recently left me awe-struck. She’s fucking amazing, and has breathed new life into their songs. And so, no beef there. I find it less egregious than The Stones continuing on without Charlie Watts, simply because of the indescribable groove Charlie lent to those songs. There is no one, not even the brilliant, Steve Jordan (a Watts protégé who played with the band’s entrenched guitarist, Keith Richards solo band, the X-Pensive Winos) can replicate. An uber-talented Nilles, can do this with Rush songs, because they’re like charted segments whose specificity makes them classic. Watts was a swing machine that laid the groundwork. Peart played parts that if funneled through a master can make you close your eyes and dream the man who wrote them is still there. Not so much for Charlie.
But it’s still weird, right? Neil Peart is not just any drummer. His legacy is one of ingenuity and originality, reinventing how the instrument was approached. No matter how good Nilles is, Peart’s presence is almost mandatory for Rush to be… ya know… Rush. No? And I am sure on a personal level it must be tough at points for Lee and Lifeson to not see him back there. It’s human nature. Playing those songs they’ve played with Peart for all those years. Has to be a nightly emotional rollercoaster – honoring him, while missing him.
I honestly wonder how Rush fans feel about this, after they buy the tickets, make the trek to the arena, and leave the place with some measure of bittersweetness. I don’t know. I’m not a big fan of Rush. I know their work as any serviceable music journalist should – even those cranks who never respected them – but this question remains for all fans of aged-out rockers or any genre of music in which your favorite group is torn asunder by death or otherwise. Are we good with this? Or more importantly, does it really matter if we are or not?
It’s fun. It’s music. Life’s short.
Play. Listen. Rinse. Repeat.
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