New Rush drummer Anika Nilles talked about her first rehearsals with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. She addressed Alex previously saying that at the end of the fourth day, they considered not playing with her since the feeling wasn’t there. However, on day five, she got the right feeling to play Neil Peart’s parts.
Question: “Alex told classic rock that on day four he and Getty were not sure it was working. And then on day five it clicked.”
Anika Nilles’ response: “Yeah. There were a moment where I also thought on day four, I’m not sure if I’m up to that task because we talked about the feeling and I think it was day four with Tom Sawyer where I had to learn about Neil’s feeling really quick like within like that one session I had to learn what they really require from me feeling wise.”
“I had to understand what Neil’s feeling really was to them to them, you know, and I went back to the hotel on after this session and I just like went through all the talk we had and and tried to figure it and really internalize what they told me and I listened back. I sat in a hotel room on a pillow to replay.”
“And I also had a talk to my producer or guitarist and he is a big Rush guy. He listened to Rush a lot in the as he was younger. He gave me also like confidence. You have to listen to the songs a couple of times more and apply this feeling. And then the next day it was there. I I think I got it and sleeping one night over everything. Definitely helped.”
This breakthrough marked a turning point for the band as they prepared for their highly anticipated return to the stage.
The first rehearsals came after Rush chose Nilles as the drummer for its 2026 Fifty Something tour. This tour marks the band’s first major run since Neil Peart’s death in 2020. Nilles is a German drummer who built her profile through online performances and work with Jeff Beck. She was not an obvious pick to casual fans.
Nilles was born in 1983 in Aschaffenburg, Germany. She began drumming at age six. She later studied popular music in Mannheim before heading its drums department. She also released three albums with her band Nevell before joining Rush’s touring lineup.
Geddy Lee said Nilles was the first drummer he suggested when he and Lifeson began seriously discussing the reunion project. That detail fits with the band’s later audition process. The process focused on whether she could capture both Peart’s precision and the right emotional feel.
Lifeson said, “We rehearsed for four days, and on the fourth day Ged and I sat down and we weren’t sure.” He added that Nilles nailed the songs on day five. Lee later said, “She suddenly changed gears, just like Al said, and it all suddenly clicked.”
Lifeson described the tour as a celebration of Peart’s life and drumming rather than a somber tribute. That context helps explain why Rush spent so much time testing Nilles in rehearsal before moving forward with the tour.
