Geddy Lee says he and Alex Lifeson have talked about recruiting one of the world's great drummers to tour as Rush again

A picture of Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee posing for photographers
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Geddy Lee has dropped the strongest hint yet that he and Alex Lifeson could be back on the road as Rush with a stand-in for late drummer Neil Peart.

The pioneering Canadian band's legendary drummer Peart died in 2020 at the age of 67, five years after he retired from live performing.

Surviving Rush members Lee and Lifeson have previously stated they couldn't consider continuing without Peart, who was not only the band's drummer but also their chief lyricist.

But they have softened that stance in recent months, notably after the pair got onstage in 2022 to perform Rush classics at the Taylor Hawkins tribute with guest drummers Danny Carey, Omar Hakim, Dave Grohl and Chad Smith.

And in a brand new interview with CBS News Sunday Morning to promote his memoir My Effin' Life, Lee says he and Lifeson – who joined him for the interview in Toronto – have discussed bringing in one of the world's great drummers to perform as Rush again.

Lee says: "Have we talked about it? Yeah. It's not impossible, but at this point, I can't guarantee it.

"Do what you believe, because if you do what someone else believes, and you fail, you've got nothing. If you do what you believe, and you fail, you still have hope."

Lifeson adds: "It's just not in our DNA to stop."

Lee recently said the "taboo" nature of discussing continuing without the late, great Peart has shifted after the reaction to the Taylor Hawkins tribute.

He said: "It was nice to know that if we decide to go out, Alex and I, whether we went out as part of a new thing, or whether we just wanted to go out and play Rush as Rush, we could do that now."

Rush have sold more than 50 million records and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013 by the Foo Fighters,

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.