It appears that Rush has finally decided to exit stage left. The Canadian nerd-rock trio behind such legendary hits as “Tom Sawyer” and “The Spirit of Radio” announced they”ll fly into YYZ one last time and return to their subdivisions after 40 years of touring.
The group”s recently-concluded R40 tour was among their most successful, pulling in an estimated $40 million in the United States and Canada. But the decision to forgo the big money out on the road comes after drummer Neal Peart”s January 2015 statements that he no longer wanted to be away from his family.
At the time, Peart told Classic Rock, “Should I be excited about leaving my family? No, and no one should. It's as simple as that.”
This decision certainly hit guitarist Alex Lifeson close to the heart. Something he discussed with Rolling Stone.
“I”m disappointed and I think Geddy [Lee] is very disappointed,” Lifeson said. “We'd love to continue this tour a little bit longer, but we're off now.”
Lifeson offered some signals that the band may still record or do one-off shows, but nothing major. It seems that Peart has found his Xanadu, and it”s with his family.
Through the years, Rush has put out 20 studio albums as well as a 20 live and compilation albums. The trio was honored for its work when it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
If this is the end of the band, we can only say it”s a farewell to kings.