Rush confirms the band is over after Neil Peart’s death

Rush fans are in mourning all over again. A year to the day after drummer Neil Peart died following a long battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer, the Canadian rock band has confirmed there is no band without Peart, period.

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee confirmed as much in a new Rolling Stone tribute article that honoured the late drummer on the one-year anniversary of his death, confirming what most fans already knew deep down in their hearts: the band is done. “That’s finished, right? That’s over,” Lee revealed. “I still am very proud of what we did. I don’t know what I will do again in music.”

Lee and Lifeson both agree that even playing again right now is hard, and that they’ve lost most of their motivation following their bandmember’s death at the age of 67. “For the longest time, I didn't have any heart to play,” Lee added. “I still feel there's music in me and there's music in Big Al, but there's no hurry to do any of that.”

“I love playing, and I never, ever wanted to stop,” Lifeson said. “And I thought, you know, 'One day, when I'm just sitting around s---ing my pants, I'll still want to play guitar.' And that's kind of gone now. After [Peart] died, it just didn't seem important. But I think it'll come back.”

Rush was formed in Toronto in 1968, although Peart didn’t join until 1974. At the time he added a philosophical view that many agree transformed the band’s lyrics and playing style, helped of course by Peart’s legendary drum skills. As the Rolling Stone profile points out, Peart’s dedication to his craft never became commercial and he always gave every performance his all, which is part of the reason he eventually burnt out and fought for a return to a simple life, away from the spotlight.

In that vein, the band’s final concert together went down at The Forum in California on August 1, 2015. Peart was the one who led that decision, having realized he wanted to spend more time at home with his second wife, Carrie Nuttall, and their daughter, Olivia. (Peart’s first wife, Jacqueline Taylor, died in 1998 following her own battle with cancer, just months after the couple lost their 19-year-old daughter, Selena, in a car accident.)

According to the Stone article, Peart never played the drums again following that final concert, although he kept in contact with his bandmates right up until his death. He died on January 7, 2020, from glioblastoma, roughly three-and-a-half years after he was told he only had 12-18 months to live.

The band may be over, but according to Lee and Lifeson, never say never. At least not when it comes to potentially hearing some of the band’s music performed live again. “The music of Rush is always part of us,” Lee said. “And I would never hesitate to play one of those songs in the right context. But at the same time, you have to give respect to what the three of us with Neil did together.” 

Before you go: Singing sisters harmonize perfectly in viral videos

[video_embed id='2114954']Before you go: Singing sisters harmonize perfectly in viral videos[/video_embed]