RUSH made history on June 13 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, performing "A Farewell To Kings" — the title track from their landmark 1977 album — live for the first time since 1979. The performance came during the fourth show of their ongoing "Fifty Something" comeback tour.
The setlist was packed with rarities and surprises. "The Pass" (1989) returned after being absent since 2013, while "The Anarchist" (2012) was performed live for the first time since 2015. The band delivered their iconic seven-part suite "2112" in its complete form, and welcomed guest vocalist AIMEE MANN for a moving rendition of "Time Stand Still."
The "Fifty Something" tour features GEDDY LEE (vocals, bass) and ALEX LIFESON (guitar) — the two surviving founders of RUSH — alongside newly recruited drummer ANIKA NILLES, who previously toured with JEFF BECK, and keyboardist LOREN GOLD. Continuing to perform under the RUSH name after the death of legendary drummer NEIL PEART in 2020 was not a decision taken lightly.
"We were twisting ourselves into a pretzel to try to avoid using the name that we have had for fifty years," Lee explained in earlier interviews. "It just seems silly to go on as 'Lee and Lifeson Present The Music Of...'"
The public response has been overwhelming. The tour's original 22-date North American run rapidly expanded to 58 shows across 24 cities after early dates sold out almost instantaneously. More than half a million tickets have been sold, and South American and European legs are already scheduled for early 2027.
For fans who have waited nearly half a century to hear "A Farewell To Kings" performed live again, June 13 in Inglewood was a night that will not be forgotten.