80s rock legends criticised for ‘shoehorning in a young female’ after unveiling new drummer

Rock band Rush shocked fans by announcing they’re reuniting for the first time since the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020 – but some fans aren’t happy about the newest band member.

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, both 72, will embark on a tour of the US, Canada, and Mexico in summer 2026, commencing in Los Angeles on June 7.

Joining them will be drummer Anika Nilles, who wrote on Instagram: ‘It’s truly an honour! Big shoes to fill! Thank you, Geddy and Alex for trusting me and welcoming me on this incredible journey with you!’

Nilles first gained recognition for her staggering drum skills by posting videos on YouTube during the early 2010s.

Since then, she has released three full-length albums, all with backing band Nevell: Pikalar (2017), For a Colorful Soul (2020), and False Truth (2025).

But there has been a misogynistic outcry since Anika was announced as the new drummer, with some fans claiming the band only selected her to satisfy some kind of ‘woke’ agenda.

@Son_of_Aragorn wrote: ‘I think there are legions of drummers out there who deserve it more. Ones who have been around forever and started drumming BECAUSE of Peart. This seems like another pathetic attempt to shoehorn a young female artist in like Linkin Park, etc. have done to get publicity.’

@LegendaryTakes agreed, writing: ‘The “replacing past members with women” thing is getting pretty laughable at this point. It’s basically automatic in 2025 if a band replaces someone.’

@MGibson15157364 was just as harsh, saying: ‘Just like Soundgarden and Linkin Park. Controlled by the industry. Why else would they put a woman in there. Fn stoopid’

Other fans were more subtle about their chauvinism, claiming that no one can fill Neil’s shoes.

@patriotglen62_ posted: ‘Sorry, I can’t support that, Neil was the best, and anything else is a “run of the mill” cheap copy.’

Still, some recognise Anika’s obvious talent, @gsd_chris wrote: ‘She is a super prodigy – can’t wait to hear her with the boys.’

@34Paulie agreed: ‘I’d suggest just watching her clips on IG. Or visit the Drumeo YouTube and watch this extremely talented lady play. She will not let Rush fans down!’

In a famously masculine genre, it’s not at all uncommon for women who join beloved male-only rock bands to face hateful comments.

Of course, arguing that a female drummer in Rush is ‘tokenism’ is absurd – and it says far more about the insecurities of rock fans than about music.

The idea assumes that women can’t possibly earn their place through talent, exposing how deeply rock’s supposed ‘meritocracy’ has always been gendered. This is especially stark in Anika’s case, given her undeniably fierce talent.

If Rush was ever about anything, it was evolution, from hard rock to conceptual prog to synth-driven experimentation, and to claim that a woman couldn’t embody that spirit is to misunderstand the band’s entire ethos.

In reality, the criticism Anika is facing boils down to a lazy defense of nostalgia for a time when rock felt safely masculine and exclusive. A woman behind the kit threatens a fantasy of technical, cerebral masculinity that’s been baked into the mythology of bands like Rush for decades.

Yet female virtuosos have always existed – from Sheila E. to Cindy Blackman Santana to Anika Nilles – they’ve just been written out of the canon.

The moment a rock fan argues that inclusion ruins authenticity, they’ve stopped listening to what made rock revolutionary in the first place.

Others obviously feel a misplaced loyalty to Peart, who died of brain cancer in 2020, three years after originally being diagnosed.

Lee had previously said the band wouldn’t get back together after Peart’s death. He told Rolling Stone in 2020: ‘That’s finished, right? That’s over, I would never hesitate to play one of those songs in the right context. But at the same time, you have to give respect to what the three of us with Neil did together.’

But more recently, it’s clear Lee has changed his tune, saying in a statement about the new tour dates: ‘It’s been over 10 years since Alex and I have performed the music of Rush alongside our fallen bandmate and friend Neil. A lifetime’s worth of songs that we had put our cumulative hearts and souls into writing, recording and playing together onstage. 

‘And so, after all that has gone down since that last show, Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we fucking miss it, and that it’s time for a celebration of 50-something years of Rush music.’

Lee also spoke about Nilles at a launch event for the tour, saying: ‘No matter who the drummer is, they all have their own perception of what it’s like to play a Rush song, and they may not line up with the way we play Rush,’ he said.

‘So whoever we were going to choose was going to be difficult, and there was going to be like a translation.

‘And so we very secretly brought Anika to Canada, and we did it wasn’t an audition, because at that point we weren’t really sure that we were going to tour. It was all an experiment …

‘I’m very happy to say that she is fantastic to play with … A lot of drummers can play Neil’s drum fills, but to combine that with the feel of those songs so that it feels the way you guys want to hear those songs – that’s work, that requires work. So she’s winning.’

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