Rush Close Their First Tour in 11 Years in Vancouver: Two Rogers Arena Shows This December 2026
Rush will close out the North American leg of their Fifty Something tour with two shows at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Tuesday, December 15 and Thursday, December 17, 2026. It is the band's first tour in 11 years and their first without late drummer Neil Peart: founding members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are joined by German drummer Anika Nilles and touring keyboardist Loren Gold, and each night is built around two full sets.
Key details
- Who: Rush - Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards) and Alex Lifeson (guitar), with Anika Nilles on drums and Loren Gold on keyboards
- What: The Fifty Something tour, Rush's first run of shows since the R40 tour in 2015
- When: Tuesday, December 15 and Thursday, December 17, 2026
- Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
- Format: An "evening with" show - two sets per night, no opening act, with the setlist drawn from across the band's catalogue
- Tickets: On sale now via Ticketmaster for December 15 and December 17
A Canadian institution returns - and finishes in Vancouver
Few bands carry the weight in Canada that Rush does. Across more than five decades, the Toronto band turned intricate, long-form progressive rock into arena-filling anthems - "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," "The Spirit of Radio" and "Closer to the Heart" among them - and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. When drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died in January 2020, many fans assumed Rush's touring days had ended for good. The Fifty Something tour, the group's first since the R40 run wrapped in 2015, is the comeback few expected.
For the return, founding members Geddy Lee (bass, vocals and keyboards) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) recruited German drummer Anika Nilles - a respected solo artist who spent years touring with Jeff Beck - to take on one of rock's most daunting roles. In February 2026 the band added keyboardist Loren Gold for the run, marking the first time Rush has toured as a four-piece rather than the trio fans have known since the 1970s. The tour's wry title nods to the band's five-plus decades together.
The Fifty Something tour opened in June 2026 in the Los Angeles area and has wound across the United States, Mexico and Canada through the year. The two Vancouver dates are the final stop on that North American leg: after Rogers Arena, Rush don't return to the stage until a 2027 run through South America and Europe. Rather than a single greatest-hits set, the band play two sets a night with no opener, pulling from a rotating catalogue so that no two evenings are quite the same - a format that rewards anyone who catches both December shows.
Rush have played Vancouver many times across their long career, which makes ending the North American leg here feel fitting. The shows also land in a busy stretch for the city's biggest room: Rogers Arena hosts a string of marquee names through the fall and winter, and you can see what else is coming up on our Vancouver concert calendar. For Rush fans, though, December 15 and 17 are the dates that matter.
Frequently asked questions
When is Rush playing in Vancouver?
Rush play two shows at Rogers Arena on Tuesday, December 15 and Thursday, December 17, 2026 - the final two dates of the Fifty Something tour's North American leg.
Who is Rush's drummer on the Fifty Something tour?
German drummer Anika Nilles is behind the kit, following the death of longtime drummer Neil Peart in 2020. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are also joined by keyboardist Loren Gold, the first time Rush has toured as a four-piece.
How long are the Rush concerts, and is there an opening act?
These are "evening with" shows, so Rush perform two full sets each night with no opening act, drawing on a deep catalogue of hits and fan favourites that changes from night to night.
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