Update: Back from Bristow with one or two (hundred) pics to share. Click HERE to view the gallery. Rush is set to take the stage at the Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater in Bristow, Virginia tonight as they close out the first of three legs in their ongoing R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour. Including tonight, the band will have performed twelve dates since opening night. Throughout the tour thus far, Rush have been consistently rotating three moderately different set lists each night. And, without giving too much away for those of you who still want to avoid spoilers, the songs, the stage production, and the entire theme of each show has been incredibly well received. For those who don't mind be spoiled, there are amazing photographs from each show online with each set showcasing the incredible stage, light, and equipment show. Be warned, however, as the pictures do highlight some of the songs performed each night. After the Virginia show, the band will take a well-deserved b

Update: A Second Wall Calendar has just become available. Click HERE to view/purchase. NMR Distribution has just released information on the upcoming 2016 Rush Wall Calendar. Few details aside from the cover art are known about the 16-month calendar at this time, except that the measurements (12" x 12") mirror those of previously released Rush Wall Calendars. This will mark the thirteenth consecutive year that a Rush Wall Calendar has been released, dating back to the original 2004 Rush Wall Calendar . The 2016 version is scheduled for release on or about July 15th and can already be pre-ordered via Amazon at this LINK . If you missed out on the 2015 calendar, you can still order it HERE . To view all of the artwork and photographs from every Rush Wall Calendar, click HERE . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for the news.

In celebration of Rush's 40th Anniversary, Gibson Custom presents the Limited Edition Alex Lifeson R40 Les Paul Axcess offered in a run of 200 guitars with 5A quilt maple tops in a lush Ruby Red R40 finish. It also features a Limited Edition "Starman" R40 die-caste medallion covering the rhythm/treble switch access cavity. Created through extensive work with Alex Lifeson himself, the Gibson Custom Signed Alex Lifeson 40th Anniversary Les Paul Axcess Quilt similarly redefines the boundaries of the classic Les Paul: packed in a single remarkable instrument, this guitar carries all of the traditional tones that have made the Les Paul legendary, along with unprecedented levels of sonic and performance versatility. For more information, please visit the Gibson website . Thanks to GeddyWannaBe for the news.

As most fans know, one of Geddy Lee's passions beyond music and wine is America's favorite past-time: Baseball. Over the years, Geddy has become friends with many notable players including MLB hall-of-fame inductee Randy Johnson. Johnson, who is an avid photographer, has been a long-time fan of Rush and has taken numerous pictures of the band over the years. MLB.Com has just posted a lengthy interview between Geddy Lee and Randy Johnson where they discuss their mutual admiration and long-standing friendship: Lee, chuckling, described their friendship as "a mutual appreciation society." "One of the things I've always admired about Randy is the thoughtful and intelligent approach he always took to his game," he said. "Always looking for an edge, always looking for a way to be better at what he did on the mound. The way he talked about being accountable. You don't hear a lot of athletes talk about being accountable. I found that inspiring.

Update: Classic rock has posted additional content from the Geddy/Alex interview. Click HERE to read more. Rush will once again grace the cover of an upcoming issue of Classic Rock magazine. Appearing on the July 2015 issue, the magazine includes a lengthy interview with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee titled "Rush: We're Coming Towards the End". Segments of the interview are available online courtesy of TeamRock: Could this tour be the last for Rush? We’ll see. Right now the tour is what it is. Whether we add more dates, I think it all boils down to Neil, really. It’s a very athletic endeavour for him to go on tour. He’s sixty-two years old. Physically it’s difficult. And it’s the same for me. Your arthritis – how bad is it? I’ve had it for ten years, and this is the first time I’m really feeling it in my hands and my feet. That’s the way it goes. But it’s a lot harder for Neil. He’s got tendonitis in his arm. To be honest, I don’t know how he gets through playing

The first week of Rush's 40th Anniversary celebration tour is now over and what a week it has been. The band opened up their tour last Friday the 8th at the Tulsa Bok Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma in front of a packed house of fans and provided a show like no other Rush concert before it. The band then played three more dates, travelling to Lincoln, Nebrasksa, St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri. As expected, the band has been rotating a few songs in and out of the set list each night and word has it that there are more songs to be introduced in future shows. For a complete rundown of the current R40 set list, with all of its changes from night to night, click HERE . As we've done in the past, we are creating special photo galleries for each R40 tour date. Check out some of the great pics from the first four shows below: Tulsa, OK 05/08/2015 Lincoln, NE 05/10/2015 St. Paul, MB 05/12/2015 St. Louis, MO 05/14/2015 The R40 tour book has also been transcr

Update (May 26th): A complete list of all tour reviews is now available HERE . Update (May 10th - Lincoln show): As expected, Rush is currently switching up the set list. Updates will be posted HERE . Update (11:40pm EST): The concert is over and by all accounts, Rush blew the roof off the place. Incredible performance, unbelievable set list, and so much more. Thanks, everyone. Good night! Update (11:00pm EST): So many glorious photos - check them out HERE . Update (8:45pm EST): R40 has begun! Update (4:45pm EST): The Rush Backstage Club has just listed their R40 Merchandise. Click HERE to view the items for sale. It's hard to believe, but it's been 642 days since Rush exited the stage at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, ending their incredibly successful Clockwork Angels tour. And now, after a nearly two year absence, Rush will once again take the stage to celebrate their 40th (okay, 41st) Anniversary with the launch of their R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour tonight.

Over the course of their amazing career, Rush has lived a lifetime together, providing an influential soundtrack to many of their fans’ lives. Some have been with them since the start, while others have discovered them along the way and delved into their incredible body of work. To quote Dave Grohl from their momentous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “Rush built their following the right way. No hype, no bullsh*t, they did it from the ground up. Their legacy is incredible and their influence undeniable." Now, after 40 years together, 20 gold and platinum studio albums, Rush is giving their fans a chance to cover 10 songs from their iconic catalog. Their publishing company ole is looking for creative, contemporary covers. Both covers with vocals and instrumentals will be accepted. Choose from these songs: Working Man * Fly By Night * Closer to the Heart * The Spirit of Radio * Freewill * Limelight * Tom Sawyer * Red Barchetta * New World Man * Time Stand Still

Geddy Lee discusses how things have changed for Rush over the years in a new interview posted by Fender Guitars titled What Makes Rush So Unique? . From the interview: "...perhaps, the most refreshing thing about Rush is that 40 plus years in, these men still have a deep dedication to each other and a “Three Musketeers” one for all, all for one mentality not found by many of their counterparts who are often wrecked by in-fighting. If one person doesn’t want to tour or record an album, then Rush simply waits. “You spend 40 years with the same people and all of our heart and our sweat and our personalities goes into the music that we make,” Lee explained. “It’s also a friendship —a collaborative kind of club that we are doing this and this is our thing, together. It’s connected to the personalities, it’s connected to the human beings. It’s not something anyone can step into and it will be a thing. It is the thing that is dependent on the three people who are in the band, and wer

One week from tonight, Rush will take the stage at the Tulsa Bok Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to launch their 34-city/35-date "R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour" and, based on some sightings, it appears the band has arrived, at least in part, in Tulsa. Yesterday, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were spotted at the Tulsa International Airport (photo courtesy of Lynn Hernadez) while Neil's tour motorcycle is reportedly ready and waiting for him in Tulsa as well (photo courtesy of Jim Sotelo). Ever since the announcement of this tour, there has been wide-ranging speculation on the set-list and the general arrangement of the show. Will the band touch upon every album in their catalog, or will they focus on their early years? Will their be another medley to introduce the show, similar to the R30 Overture, or will they stay true to each song. If this is truly their "last big tour", will they go out with a bang, or play it safe? So many questions, so many theories, and