On the final night of its tour-opening four-concert stand at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, the reunited Rush continued to shake up its set list from one show to the next. Three songs made their tour debut: 1989’s The Pass, 2012’s The Anarchist and 1977’s A Farewell to Kings (which they haven’t played live since 1979, the year Sony introduced its Walkman.)
One of the constants over the sold-out run was 1987’s Time Stand Still, with guest appearances from singer Aimee Mann, whose ethereal contribution on the original recording was revisited in person in a duet with Rush singer/bassist Geddy Lee.
Mann: “Time stand still.”
Lee: “I’m not looking back, but I want to look around me now.”
Mann: “Time stand still.”
Lee: “See more of the people and the places that surround me now.”
Rush’s Fifty Something Tour is its first in 11 years and its first without drummer Neil Peart in more than five decades. Peart joined the band on July 29, 1974, two weeks before the Canadian progressive rock trio’s first U.S. tour. The virtuoso musician and band lyricist died of brain cancer on Jan. 7, 2020, in Santa Monica, Calif., about 20 minutes away from the arena.
German drummer Anika Nilles takes over Peart’s time-keeping duties for the current tour, but the late virtuoso was tributed more than once during the powerhouse, two-set thrill ride. Lee mentioned Peart’s “presence” after the concert-opening epic Xanadu. He then introduced Nilles, before adding, “Let’s get to it.”