A decade after their last tour, the Canadian power trio Rush is back with a two-year-planned “Fifty Something” tour that found its way to Ball Arena in Denver for two outstanding shows in early October 2026.

A band that has successfully defied convention and labels, Rush initially retired following their 40th anniversary tour in 2015 and then seemed to be done after drummer Neil Peart passed away in 2020. Fans were distraught at the loss of their favorite drummer—easily one of the best in rock history—who also served as the band’s primary lyricist. Then, five or so years following the death of Peart, dubbed “The Professor” by fans, surviving members Geddy Lee (bass and vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) decided they missed playing their material too much to let it rest. Lee and Lifeson recruited Anika Niles to fill Peart’s sizable shoes and along with keyboardist Loren Gold, the newly minted Rush, now a quartet, announced their return in October 2025. Rather than hit every city possible, the rock gods from the north decided to do multiple shows in large cities, with days off in between every show to give the band, particularly Lee, rest from the natural grind of the rock road.

The band, from Toronto, began making waves in the mid-1970s and its self-titled debut arrived in early 1974, featuring founding member and original drummer John Rutsey, who left after the debut was released and two weeks before a tour, for which Peart filled in at the last minute. Rush delivered new albums almost annually and they found themselves firmly in the progressive rock club with heady, intricate, high-concept albums such as Caress of Steel, Hemispheres and their first big hit record, the sci-fi-influenced concept album 2112. Interspersed with the many lengthy, dense progressive hard-rock songs were radio-friendly gems like the beautiful “Closer to the Heart,” which expanded Rush’s radio presence in the late ’70s. The early ’80s would see Rush leap ahead rather significantly with three excellent and highly successful albums, starting with 1980’s Permanent Waves and its pair of radio hits, “The Spirit of Radio” and “Freewill,” both staples of the airwaves to this day. The band went on to release 19 albums through 2012’s Clockwork Angels.

For this reunion tour, Rush welcomed the brilliant Niles, who had already received acclaim touring with guitar legend Jeff Beck in 2022. Rush began their comeback in Los Angeles in June and Niles instantly and decisively proved that she was, in fact, a worthy replacement for Peart. Suffice to say, the Fifty Something Tour is one of the most anticipated and successful rock events of 2026, with a full year of touring abroad slated for 2027.

In Denver, Rush performed two shows, with a night off in the middle. Clearly, the band members are enjoying themselves, and their rabid fanbase has responded with full houses and joyful reactions, as seen by the many online clips in various North American cities. Night one at Ball Arena saw the band start strong and deliver an astonishing performance. Many big rock shows rely on video screens to engage the masses; Rush used them to create a movie within the concert. The screens, lights and sound were all used to perfection to create a truly compelling and entertaining show, starting with Rush fanatics, actors Jason Segel and Paul Rudd, appearing in a short skit, to the animated South Park show hilariously helping kickstart one of Rush’ biggest hits, “Tom Sawyer.” The video screens often showed high-resolution imagery related to the various albums and their artwork.

Watch Rush perform “Tom Sawyer” in Denver, October 2026

The band has been alternating between several stock setlists, with a variety of exceptions. Playing roughly 24-28 songs per show, Rush is covering much of their vast repertoire, including performing most or all of specific albums.

Related: Another look at the 2026 reunion

Opener “Xanadu,” a high-energy and complex ramble of dreamy progressive rock, delivered the message to fans that Rush was ready for a deep dive into the band’s muscular rock and roll. Rush then jumped into their early ’80s heyday with the timeless “Limelight” and 1982’s “Subdivisions,” both great examples of Peart’s keen observations about modern society’s modern caste and class systems. Rush has always had its own distinctive and tight sound featuring explosive, dynamic and truly progressive hard-rock arrangements with interesting, probing and thought-provoking lyrics. While Peart was responsible for the lion’s share or lyrics, Lee and Lifeson wrote most of the music.

Watch “Xanadu” live in Denver

In 2026, Lee and Lifeson have lost nothing in ability. Both in their early 70s, the two lifelong friends were light on their feet, smiling and laughing through most of the show while playing some of rock’s most complex hits. Plowing through fascinating song after song, Rush’s first set in their first Denver show continued with “The Pass” and “Freewill” before their first of multiple video tributes to Peart. The fan favorites “Bravado” and “La Villa Strangiato,” one of many Rush instrumentals, followed before they pulled out one of their lesser-played tunes, “Natural Science,” and the set-closing “The Spirit of Radio,” one of their most beloved songs.

Lifeson is a guitar wonder both live and on record, who can cover so much ground rhythmically. Aside from a brief time in 1969, the band has only ever had one guitarist and Lifeson is the perfect player for that position. One recognizes his many hook-heavy guitar riffs or chordal figures instantly, even if the song title escapes. Lee has long been known afor possessing one of rock’s highest tenor voices, like Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin’s first two albums. As recognizable as any singer, Lee still has most of his range and is actually singing somewhat better and seemingly stronger than on several tours prior to the reunion. With a vocal coach on the tour and days off between every show, Lee appeared relaxed and content.

Set two began with a digital readout high above the stage rolling its numbers up to one permanently planted in every Rush fan’s mind, 2112. The band returned after a 25-minute break to perform most of that album. including the seven-part “2112” suite that opens the 1976 sci-fi prog classic. A wide variety of songs from throughout their many albums followed, including another song from 2112, “A Passage to Bangkok.” The only Rush song to feature a female voice, the wonderful Aimee Mann, is “Time Stand Still” from the 1987 album Hold Your Fire, which proved the band can write progressive pop as well as rock. Mann joined Rush for this number at all four L.A. shows in June and one later in Toronto, so the band used video of Mann singing to accompany Lee. Several songs from their biggest-selling album, 1981’s Moving Pictures, highlighted the final stretch, the nostalgic “Red Barchetta,” the Grammy-nominated instrumental “YYZ” and of course the show -losing “Tom Sawyer,” with the requisite South Park opening bit. A pair from Rush’s debut, “Finding My Way” and the classic “Working Man” ended show one on a powerful note. (Lee, incidentally, was not the founding bassist, leaving Lifeson as the only career-long member.)

Night two was seemingly even tighter and perhaps more dialed in; the sound in the arena was crystal clear and Lee actually sounded a bit stronger than night one. As is their norm, the band changed up its set lists so as to give each city a wide variety of material while still serving up their biggest hits. Following the opener “Xanadu,” Rush dove into the rocker “Dreamline” from 1991’s Roll the Bones. Other songs not played on night one included the very ’80s cinematic rocker “Red Sector A,” which Lee dedicated to his mother; the title track from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings and 1982’s “New World Man,” which rounded out the first half before the closing “The Spirit of Radio.” Despite being written at the last minute as the last song to complete Signals, “New World Man” became Rush’s highest-ever charting single.

Not only did all the hit singles from Moving Pictures reappear on night two but the band played the entire album to start set two. The radio hits aside, the band clearly knows its audience and dipped into the song bag to give the hardcore fans a nice variety. For the encore on night two, they started with “By-Tor & The Snow Dog,” another heady, fantastical song with high-energy hard rock and trippy Peart lyrics. “Working Man” again ended the night, sending the 20,000 fans home well-satisfied.

Tickets for the tour are available here and here. A recent collection, Rush 50, is available in several distinct configurations: the Super Deluxe Edition (4-CDs and 7-LPs) [order here], a 7-LP Deluxe Edition (here), and a 4-CD Deluxe Edition (here). It’s also available in Canada here and in the U.K. here.