(cover photo from blabbermouth.net)

It has to be one of the most unenviable positions in music. Not only is there the insurmountable pressure that comes with taking over for a legend; but there is also the potentially soul-crushing knowledge that legions of people believe said legend cannot — or should not — be replaced.

Welcome to the world of Anika Nilles.

When Rush’s (deservedly) deified drummer Neil Peart passed away in 2020, fans were certain the trio’s book was officially closed. After all, how could Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson possibly carry on without the man who helped make Rush music legends?

Said book had already been all but closed in 2015, when Rush played its final show of a farewell tour on August 1 in Los Angeles. Fans wanted the band to go on forever, but Rush saw the value of getting up and walking away from the table while leaving a little meat on the bone.

But a decade later, Geddy and Alex thought it might be fun to dust off the Rush catalog and take the show back on the road to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. There was just one question:

Who will sit on the throne?

It would’ve been easy to go with a highly-regarded progressive rock-driven drummer like Mike Portnoy, Gavin Harrison, or Danny Carey, any of whom might’ve jumped at the gig. But Rush has never been a conventional band doing conventional things.

Enter Anika Nilles.

Nilles seems to have come from out of nowhere. She’s a YouTube sensation, an educator known for her technical proficiency, particularly when it comes to deep grooves and polyrhythmic skills. Her most high profile gig (and it is quite high) was with Jeff Beck. Not bad for someone who didn’t take up the drums until she was 26. Still, she seemed like a relative unknown.

Now here she is, occupying the chair of one of, if not the most highly regarded drummer in rock history. No pressure there.

This is to say nothing of having to handle the pressure of this gig in the internet era. It would’ve been hard enough in, say the early nineties when rumors and conjecture would’ve run rampant between fans in relatively isolated forums where few shared opinions between locales. But we now live in a world where anyone can say anything and have it seen and heard around the world with the click of button.

Nilles faces no shortage of opinions. There was cynicism, there was doubt, there was trepidation. Worst of all, there was so much gatekeeping! The haters didn’t want their Rush beliefs tarnished. No one could replace Neil Peart. No one was entitled to even try! The last note from the last show in 2015 was the end, and that’s all there was to it.

Geddy and Alex felt otherwise. So, they hired Nilles, got themselves ready, and took the show on the road. Poetically, Rush started the tour where the last tour ended, at The Forum in Los Angeles.

As a matter of personal policy, I don’t watch fan videos of concerts unless they’ve been authorized by the band. The camera work is usually shaky, there is only one angle to see, and the sound is less than spectacular. Still, the number of videos of Nilles playing the otherworldly drum fill in “Tom Sawyer” on the first night of the tour nearly toppled my YouTube timeline. I felt like I had no choice but to peek.

Nilles was terrific!

Not long after, another video surfaced covering the entire gig. The angle was adequate and the sound was tolerable. Though why someone would pay to come to a concert just to record it when the actual gig was taking place right in front of them is something I’ll never fully understand.

I’m waiting for the inevitable concert video from Rush to come forth. But that’ll be no less than a year from now, I’m sure. And let’s face it … I was more than a little curious. So, against my better judgement, and over the course of three days, I watched the show in general, and Nilles in particular. I was more than pleased with what I saw and heard.

Nilles is not Neil Peart, and that’s perfectly okay. Capturing all of Peart’s notes would’ve created a robotic performance gatekeepers would’ve scrutinized endlessly and mercilessly. Instead, Nilles captured Peart’s spirit, and did it beautifully! No doubt Peart was in the building, sitting next to Nilles, smiling and saying, “That’s it, kid. You got it!”

The fans were supportive from the moment the show started. The applause Nilles received when Geddy introduced her warmed the heart to the point of tears. She went about thrilling the crowd and (hopefully) crushing the haters into a fine powder easily blown away like so much annoying dust.

Geddy and Alex were certainly happy with what they were seeing and hearing, as their repeated walks to the drum riser to show Nilles their unwavering support almost always induced smiles that bordered on laughter. Everyone was having a blast!

So, take a deep breath, haters. You have nothing to worry about. Try something crazy like actually seeing the show before casting judgement. And let Nilles be who she is, as opposed to what you want her to be. You’ll get a lot more out of the show.

As for me, I have but one thing to say to Anika Nilles:

You’re doing great, kid! Keep kicking ass!

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed, contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com