Anika Nilles Reflects on ‘We talked a lot about Neil’ — Inside Her First Rehearsal with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
New Rush drummer anika nilles says her first rehearsal with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson was less an audition than a conversation about feel — and about the late Neil Peart. She arrived with a few prepared songs, the trio ran through a short set of material and talked “a great deal about the feel of the songs. ” The session, she adds, was about finding what “feels right” for the two remaining band members and for fans who will hear them play again.
Anika Nilles on Rehearsal Conversations
The new rehearsal, as recounted by the drummer, emphasized listening and respect for the original drummer’s influence on the band’s sound. “I had a few songs prepared before I flew over, and we played those, ” she says, and then describes extended discussion about Neil’s view on music and drumming. The focus was not technical spectacle but the intangible quality the members call “feel”: how the songs sit for Lee and Lifeson, and how that will read to audiences.
That emphasis governed choice of material and approach. The first session, she explains, was about getting to know one another and assessing how they function together on the songs that define the band’s catalogue. An underlying objective was explicit: capture the right feeling for the two of them, and ultimately for the fans.
Background & Context: setlist, first public performance and rehearsal material
The rehearsal followed Anika Nilles’ first public performance with the band at a national awards ceremony held at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. The trio had prepped a short list of songs for the studio sessions — five in all — and ran through several emblematic tracks.
Geddy Lee describes the opening choices as deliberately measured. “We’d prepped five songs, but I think it might have been Limelight, ” he says, noting that something like YYZ would not have been the ideal first song despite being run through during rehearsals. They also played Spirit Of Radio and Subdivisions, and worked through other material to see how the pieces fit with a different drummer in the room.
Lifeson frames the rehearsal as a revealing exercise in appreciation: watching someone else attempt to capture Neil’s feel highlights the late drummer’s approach — the tightness of his attitude and firmness in attack. Songs such as Tom Sawyer and Limelight, he says, demand attention and commitment; they cannot be approached casually if the performance is to retain its character.
Expert perspectives: the band speaks on feel, selection and the first session
New Rush drummer Anika Nilles, interviewed following the session, underlined preparation and a shared priority on musical feel. “We spoke a great deal about the feel of the songs. The most important point is simply to capture the feeling — that it feels right for the two of them to play their music again, ” she says. She reiterates that the first session was an introduction as much as a run-through.
Geddy Lee, Rush, reflects on practical choices made during rehearsal: “We’d prepped five songs, but I think it might have been Limelight. We wouldn’t have wanted something like YYZ as the first song, though we did run through it in those sessions. We played [Spirit Of] Radio with Anika too. I can’t remember what else we played. We did Subdivisions, so it might have been that. ” His remarks underscore a conservative, song-first approach to integration.
Alex Lifeson, Rush, adds a technical and emotional dimension to the account. He notes that observing another drummer attempt Neil’s parts sharpens an appreciation for Peart’s craft: “So you get a sense of appreciation for the way the song is, but you also get a more acute appreciation for how Neil played. Because when you see someone else trying to capture his feel, you realise what kind of player he was, and the tightness of his attitude, the firmness in attack as well. “
The immediate practical fallout is modest and deliberate: measured repertoire choices in rehearsal, attention to feel over flash, and a cautious path toward public performance that respects both the music and the fans’ expectations.
Still, questions remain about how the band will balance reverence for past performances with the need to present cohesive live shows featuring a new drummer. How Anika Nilles, the two surviving members and their audiences negotiate that balance on tour will determine whether the rehearsals’ priorities translate into sustained success on stage.
