Rush and Aimee Mann, image via YouTube

After four decades on the forefront of progressive rock and another spent away from the stage, anticipation for Rush’s resurrection reached a fever pitch on Sunday as the legendary trio set off their Fifty Something Tour. The pioneering outfit – now featuring the founding duo of vocalist, bassist and keyboardist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson alongside drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold – commenced their twice-extended 88-show reunion tour with the first of four performances at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, establishing the run’s format with an enthralling 24-track exploration of their catalog.

Rush’s performance began with “Xanadu,” drawn from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings and placed as the opener for the first time, then proceeded with an eclectic mix that nodded to nearly every album in their discography, with special emphasis placed on the records of their ‘80s heyday through landmark projects like 1980’s Permanent Waves and 1981’s Moving Pictures. Some highlights within the two-set show were the several songs that hadn’t made it to the stage since 2011, like “La Villa Strangiato,” “Vital Signs” and 1987’s Hold Your Fire standout “Time Stand Still,” which included the band’s first-ever live sit-in from the song’s studio collaborator Aimee Mann.

Between tracks, the Fifty Something kickoff show testified to Rush’s legacy with archival audio and video cutaways, several of which honored the band’s late drummer and primary lyricist Neil Peart. Rush’s current tour is their first since the musical polymath and hard rock icon’s passing in 2020, and Lee and Lifeson made their friend’s presence known with frequent, moving homages and powerful performances of the music he helped create.

Rush’s Fifty Something tour will reconfigure its setlist every night, pulling from a bank of 35 songs carefully selected from their expansive discography. The tour will take the band across North America through Dec. 17, then proceed with a global arena run from January to April of Next Year. Find tickets and more information at rush.com.