Alex Lifeson (Rush)

It’s the news that fans of legendary Canadian prog-rock three-piece group Rush have been waiting to hear for a very long time.

Earlier this week, and five years after the death of drummer Neil Peart, the two remaining members of the group — bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson — have officially announced a North American reunion tour for 2026 with celebrated German composer and producer Anika Nilles taking Peart’s coveted place on drums.

The tour, titled Fifty Something, will be a celebration of the group’s music and a way to honour Peart’s legacy as both drummer and lyricist for the group.

Two weeks ago, I interviewed Lifeson to discuss his current project, Envy of None.

I first asked him about the huge legacy Rush had etched into music history and how his new project sat alongside his half-century of work with Rush.

“I’m proud of my background and what I have done with Rush and the legacy that we left, but Envy of None is a completely different thing,” he said.

“It was a fresh thing for me and something really new and different.

“I think that’s probably why I made such an effort to not be Alex Lifeson from Rush on this project.”

During Rush’s entire existence, they sadly never toured Australia.

“I would go to Australia in a heartbeat to tour,” he said.

“I think the idea of travelling to the other side of the world to do a few dates in an unknown territory where we didn’t even know if we were popular or not, was too much of a gamble.

“If we had some sort of input like, ‘well, you’ve got thousands of Rush fans there that would love to see you’, maybe we would’ve been convinced to come there.

“But it just never seemed like there was interest in Australia, so it was hard to take that leap.”

Lifeson’s passion for creating music fuels his other creative endeavours and charity work.

“Though I have a level of creativity that’s driven by my love of music, it’s much broader than that,” he said.

“I love cooking, and I love painting.

“I did a whole series of paintings for the Kidney Foundation of Canada that resulted in $450,000 in donations over a period of about 12 years.

“So those paintings did really, really well.

“And I helped somebody, and I did something positive for society.

“And if there’s a connection to music and all of these things that makes the world a better place, that’s a duty that I feel I need to do and I’m proud of it and I never want to stop.”

For more info on the group and its reunion tour, visit rush.com

Music news

’80s new wave hitmakers The Cars have been working on new music from a collection of demo tracks that the group’s late frontman, Ric Ocasek, left behind.

The surviving members of the group — guitarist Elliot Easton, drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Greg Hawkes — have been slowly adding their parts to the tracks to transform them into new Cars material.

No news as yet on when we can expect the recordings to be released.

Scheduled for release on November 14 is the new album by Josh Groban.

Titled Hidden Gems, it is a special collection that brings together 10 of his fans’ most beloved and rare tracks, many of which have never been available on streaming platforms, as well as a new song, The Constant.

Also coming November 14 is a special 25th-anniversary expanded edition of Green Day’s sixth album, Warning.

Taylor Swift released her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, last Friday.

US sales chart Billboard has already reported that on its first day of release, the album sold 2.7 million copies in traditional album sales (physical and digital purchases) across all versions of the album.

This is the second-largest sales figure in the first week of release for any album since electronic tracking of sales began in 1991.

Swift’s sales result was second only to Adele’s 25, which sold 3.3 million copies in its first week of release in 2015.

Book review

Cat on the Road to Findout — Yusuf/Cat Stevens

The main thread running through this new memoir from Cat Stevens is his search for spiritual enlightenment.

Having first achieved success as a pop singer in the late ’60s and indulging in all the spoils of its success, a near-fatal bout of tuberculosis soon put an end to his pop star life.

While in recovery, a rethink and new direction was in order, which led to him re-emerging as the ’70s introspective singer-songwriter we have all come to know, with hits such as Father & Son, Peace Train and Morning Has Broken, among others.

Yet his search for spiritual fulfilment persisted throughout.

A near-drowning experience in the ocean in 1975 put him on the path to perform the ultimate disappearing act in 1977.

Leaving music behind after finding his spiritual home with Islam and a change of name to Yusuf Islam, he dedicated his life to God, family and humanitarian work.

Yet, in the years that followed, his name remained in the news for all the wrong reasons, especially after the tragic events of 9/11.

Stevens finally sets the record straight on the misunderstandings and false accusations he has endured in the western media ever since.

His return to popular music in 2006 was welcomed, ushering a wonderful bridging of his past to his present and all in between.

It’s a memoir that not only reveals much about the man and his music — and there’s plenty of anecdotes about his classic hits — but an engaging read about one man’s road to redemption.

This week’s global music singles charts

Australia ARIA Top 50: At No.1 is Golden by HUNTR/X, Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami.

US Billboard Hot 100: At No.1 is Golden by HUNTR/X, Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami.

UK Official Top 100: At No.1 is Man I Need by Olivia Dean.

France Top 100: At No.1 is Soleil Bleu by Bleu Soleil & Luiza.

Fun fact

The oldest musical composition in the world is called Seikilos Epitaph, an ancient Greek inscription that dates back to around the 1st and 2nd century AD.

It includes both a musical score and short lyrics.

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