Anika Nilles Announced as Rush’s Drummer for 2026 Fifty Something Tour

Anika Nilles, the 42-year-old German fusion and solo drummer chosen to fill Neil Peart’s seat on Rush’s Fifty Something tour, has released the official music video for her instrumental "Fou Fou" from the album False Truth. Poll: which Rush song — "Tom Sawyer" or "YYZ" — do you most want to hear Nilles tackle live? Watch the "Fou Fou" video and note the tour opens June 7, 2026 at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

Blabbermouth reports that "Fou Fou" is taken from Nilles’s fourth album False Truth, which came out in September 2025, and that she has released the official music video for the track. Modern Drummer’s profiles of Nilles list her previous full-length albums Pikalar (2017) and For a Colorful Soul (2020), and note she appeared on Modern Drummer’s June 2017 cover to promote Pikalar.

Nilles’s résumé includes teaching and institutional roles that music educators will recognize: she has taught at Nexus ICA, Drumeo, and Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, and since 2021 she has headed the drums department at Popakademie Baden-Württemberg. Modern Drummer also records that she toured as part of Jeff Beck’s live band for his 2022 European tour and that she has been a prolific YouTuber since the early 2010s, garnering millions of plays with instructional videos and original material with her backing band Nevell.

The Rush connection was announced to fans via a band newsletter and home-studio video on October 6, 2025, and Blabbermouth reports that Nilles "was chosen to fill in for the late Neil Peart" for the surprise Fifty Something reunion tour. Blabbermouth says the trek will begin June 7, 2026 at The Kia Forum and that the band will perform multiple shows across Canada, the United States and Mexico in a special "evening with" format featuring two sets each night, with each show drawn from a catalogue of 35 songs.

Wikipedia’s Fifty Something entry lists the tour as starting June 7, 2026 in Inglewood and currently scheduled to conclude April 10, 2027 in Helsinki, Finland, with a total of 82 shows. Blabbermouth also reports that initial 2026 dates announced by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson sold out instantly, prompting the band to double the tour’s length and add more dates because of increased demand.

The band’s announcement included a formal tribute to Neil Peart, printed by Blabbermouth as part of the newsletter text: "Neil's musicianship was singular. Compositions of intricacy and power that expanded what rhythm itself could express. As both drummer and lyricist, he was irreplaceable. Inimitable in his artistry, and unmatched in the depth and imagination he brought to the lyrics that inspired and moved so many, he profoundly shaped how fans connected with him and the band, giving voice and meaning to their own lives.

As the band enters this new chapter, it promises to be truly unforgettable. We are excited to see how their new vision unfolds, and to hear this legendary music played live once again."

Consequence’s partial 2026 date list highlights multiple early-leg shows that drum fans will care about: four Kia Forum nights in Los Angeles on 06/07, 06/09, 06/11 and 06/13; Mexico City at Palacio de los Deportes on 06/18; a block of Dickies Arena dates in Fort Worth beginning 06/24 through 06/30; United Center runs in Chicago starting 07/16; and Madison Square Garden dates in New York beginning 07/28 through 08/03 as shown in the supplied itinerary excerpt.

Modern Drummer frames the Rush gig as "undoubtedly her most notable professional drumming endeavor to date," following Nilles’s Jeff Beck stint and her steady online and educational work. Expect her "Fou Fou" video and False Truth material to be the clearest preview of how she approaches Rush’s catalogue when the Fifty Something tour opens June 7, 2026.