Rush reflect on 2015 farewell tour: “We let our British and European fans down”

Rush have reflected on their 2015 farewell tour, saying that they “let our British and European fans down” by not giving them the chance to say goodbye.

The Canadian band played 35 headline shows across North America almost 10 years ago, having formed over four decades prior. Drummer Neil Peart died from brain cancer in early 2020, aged 67.

• READ MORE: Neil Peart obituary, 1952-2020: The Professor of drums who weaved fantasy into rock

During a new interview with Classic Rock, bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson recalled how Rush had initially wanted to visit more countries as part of the trek – but said Peart didn’t want to head out on the road at all.

“I’d pushed really hard to get more gigs so that we could do those extra shows and I was unsuccessful,” Lee told the magazine of the ‘R40 Live’ tour.

“I really felt like I let our British and European fans down. It felt to me incorrect that we didn’t do it, but Neil [Peart] was adamant that he would only do 30 shows and that was it.”

He continued: “That to him was a huge compromise because he didn’t want to do any shows. He didn’t want to do one show. So, in his mind, he’d compromised already. He said, ‘I’ll do 30 gigs, don’t ask me for any more’.

“I just kind of felt I owed an explanation to them, the audience. It’s part of why I went into the detail I did about Neil’s passing in the book [Lee’s memoir, My Effin’ Life], was to let fans in on what went down. That it wasn’t a straight line.”

Lee added: “This is how complicated the whole world of Rush became since August 1 of 2015 until January 7th of 2020 when Neil passed. Those were very unusual, complicated, emotional times.

“Fans invested their whole being into our band and I thought they deserved a somewhat straight answer about what happened and how their favourite band came to end.”

Lifeson went on to remember how “disappointed” he and Lee were by the farewell tour schedule, explaining: “Neil demanded playing only a limited number of dates which precluded a UK and European run. I think a dozen or so more dates would have made us a bit more accepting.

“And there was a point where I think Neil was open to maybe extending the run and adding in a few more shows, but then he got this painful infection in one of his feet. I mean, he could barely walk to the stage at one point. They got him a golf cart to drive him to the stage. And he played a three-hour show, at the intensity he played every single show.”

He concluded: “That was amazing, but I think that was the point where he decided that the tour was only going to go on until that final show in LA.”

Rush’s last live concerts in the UK and Europe took place in 2013 as part of the ‘Clockwork Angels’ tour, in support of their 19th and final album of the same name.

In late 2023, Lee opened up about the last time he saw his late former bandmate Peart while speaking on his My Effin’ Life book tour. “He wanted to tell me how proud he was of the music we have done together,” he said, adding: “Some of this stuff is hard to talk about.”

The musician revealed around the same time that he would be open to a Rush reunion with Lifeson. However, the latter explained in 2021 that there was “no way Rush will ever exist again” without Peart. “And that’s not to say that we can’t do other things and we can’t do things that benefit our communities and all of that,” he said. “I have lots of plans for that sort of thing that don’t necessarily include Geddy.”

Last year saw the release of Peart’s final book, Silver Surfers, which documents his obsession with sports cars of the 1960s.

Elsewhere, Rush paid tribute to their former producer Peter Collins last summer following his death aged 73.

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