Geddy Lee has shared a surreal moment from the start of Rush’s Fifty Something tour, describing an encounter that left him questioning whether the band’s late drummer Neil Peart was somehow nearby.
The legendary band’s bassist-and-vocalist was asked whether he has felt Peart’s presence during the run. He laughed at the “spooky question” before revealing a story from the tour’s opening night in Los Angeles.
Lee explained that he was texting bandmate Alex Lifeson from his hotel room when he noticed something unusual on the floor outside his door. The tour’s promotional poster features two birds on a wire, with one flying away – and the creature in front of him looked uncannily similar.
Appearing on Toronto’s Q107, he was asked if he’s ever felt Peart’s presence since his death in 2020.
The 73-year-old rocker responded: “Spooky question!
“Well, it’s funny. I’ll tell you a little story. After the opening night, we were staying in L.A., and I was texting Al [Alex Lifeson]. We were in the same hotel, but we were texting each other.
“My door to my room was open a crack, and I don’t know if you’ve seen the posters [for Rush’s Fifty Something tour] that have two birds on a wire and the one bird is flying away. I looked in front of me, on the floor, and there was a bird on the floor that looked just like that bird in the poster.
“I was kind of shocked. And, you know, I love birds, so I approached it, and it flew by me and flew into my bedroom and sat on the edge of my bed. And when I approached it, it was like it was looking at me, and then it flew out the door. So, I quickly ran to the computer and was texting Al this crazy story that had just happened.”
Lee stressed that he’s not someone who believes in “mumbo jumbo,” but admitted the timing and symbolism made the moment feel “remarkable.”
The Fifty Something tour continues in Toronto on Tuesday night (11.08.26).