Former Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson shared in an interview with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk earlier this week that he thinks there’s no possibility for a reunion of the iconic rock band. Lifeson cites the passing of esteemed drummer/lyricist Neil Peart as his reasoning, claiming that “really, Rush ended in 2015.” Peart died in January of 2020 at the age of 67 after battling brain cancer for over three years.

The artist began, “I know Rush fans are a unique bunch, and I love them. It was a really good two-way relationship. But I think, really, Rush ended in 2015. There’s no way Rush will ever exist again because Neil’s not here to be a part of it. And that’s not to say that we can’t do other things and we can’t do things that benefit our communities and all of that. I have lots of plans for that sort of thing that don’t necessarily include Geddy [Lee].”

He went on to reflect on Rush’s final R40 tour, saying, “We were in our early 60s when that tour ended. After the number of dates that we did do, which was about half of what we would normally do, we were all starting to feel the fatigue, as you normally would.” Lifeson explained, “we were really excited about the show, the presentation of the show, the whole concept of going back through our history. I thought we were all playing really, really well, and I probably could have continued to do another 30 shows, and I think Geddy felt the same way.”

“But it was becoming really difficult for Neil to play at that level,” he revealed. “And unless he could play a hundred percent at that level, he really didn’t wanna do any more shows, and he didn’t wanna be that person that should have taken it. And it was hard for him — a three-hour show playing the way he played. It’s a miracle that he was even able to play.”

In April, Charlie Benante, Alex Skolnick, Ra Diaz and Brandon Yeagley came together for a socially distanced cover of Rush’s classic, “Subdivisions.” The group also announEP made up of Rush covers for Record Store Day

Later in the month, alternative metal band Primus announced 2021 dates for their Rush tribute tour, billed as A Tribute to Kings. The tour will see the band play through the entirety of Rush’s 1977 album, A Farewell to Kings, as well as Primus material. Originally, A Tribute to Kings was set to take place in the summer of 2020, but the tour was rescheduled twice due to ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19.

Last summer, Rush released a new music video for their song “The Spirit of Radio,” in honor of the 40th anniversary of their 1980 LP, Permanent Waves. The animated video was a wink at ‘80s radio, featuring cartoon versions of DJs Bob Coburn, Jim Ladd and Donna Halper, as well as members of Rush.

Photo Credit: Dave Gatson