"The past few days have been quite overwhelming": New Rush drummer Anika Nilles reacts to sudden spotlight

Anika Nilles, the drummer chosen to fill in for the late Neil Peart next year as Rush embark on their unexpected Fifty Something reunion tour, has spoken about her newfound fame.

"The past few days have been quite overwhelming," Nilles says on Instagram. "I’m sure many of you feel the same. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank Geddy [Lee] and Alex [Lifeson] for their trust and for welcoming me on this incredible new journey with Rush.

"I also don’t want to miss the chance to warmly welcome all the new faces here and to thank you for your kind and open-minded words - they truly mean a lot. At the same time, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has followed and supported my journey over the years. We’re all in this together now, and I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead."

Nilles was thrust into the spotlight after Lee and Lifeson selected her for what will be Rush's first run of live dates since the final show of their R40 Tour in 2015.

"I'm very happy to say that she is fantastic to play with, and we've had now a number of sessions with her, and we're going to go on the road with her," Lee said during the press conference announcing the tour. "I think she's a remarkable story. And you know, she's much younger than us.

"I know it's hard to believe, and I like that, that she came to Rush music without any preconceptions. It also made it very difficult, because we had to explain nuances and work on subtleties, and she had to really try to get into Neil's headspace and his feel."

Anika Nilles is currently on tour in Germany with her six-piece fusion band Nevell, and makes her Australian debut late next month, while Rush's schedule kicks off in Los Angeles next June. Full dates below.

Presale registration for Rush tickets closes on October 9 at 11:59 PM ET.

Anika Nilles and Nevell Tour 2025

Oct 10: Weikersheim Tauberphilharmonie, Germany
Oct 17: Hamburg Nica, Germany
Oct 18: Minden Jazz Club, Germany

Nov 30: Melbourne Max Watts, Australia
Dec 02: Sydney Manning bar, Australia
Dec 04: Brisbane The Brightside, Australia

Rush: Fifty Something Tour 2026

Jun 07: Los Angeles Kia Forum, CA
Jun 09: Los Angeles Kia Forum, CA
Jun 11: Los Angeles Kia Forum, CA
Jun 13: Los Angeles Kia Forum, CA
Jun 18: Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico
Jun 24: Fort Worth Dickies Arena TX
Jun 26: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Jun 28: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Jun 30: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Jul 16: Chicago United Center, IL
Jul 18: Chicago United Center, IL
Jul 20: Chicago United Center, IL
Jul 22: Chicago United Center, IL
Jul 28: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Aug 1: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Aug 3:: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jul 30: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Aug 07: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Aug 09: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Aug 11: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Aug 13: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Sep 17: Cleveland Rocket Arena, OH