Rush books five-night Sphere residency in Las Vegas for May 2027

Rush will add a five-night stand at Sphere in Las Vegas to its reunion run next spring, performing its albums "2112" and "Moving Pictures" in their entirety.

The engagement, called Elevate From the Norm, is scheduled for May 21, 23, 26, 28 and 30, 2027. Live Nation is producing the shows. Along with the two complete albums, the set lists will include hits and fan favorites.

Tickets will be sold in stages. Subscribers to Rush Backstage and the Rush newsletter get a two-hour window to buy VIP and travel packages starting Friday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. PT. An artist presale opens Wednesday, Nov. 11, also at 10 a.m. PT. Fans must register through Seated to receive a presale code. The general public can buy tickets starting Nov. 13.

Singer-bassist Geddy Lee said in a statement that when he first learned about Sphere, he thought the venue suited the visual approach the band had always taken to its concerts. At the time, he said, he regretted that Rush was no longer touring. Now the band is "living and touring in the present tense," he said, and can finally take on the room.

Lee said Rush usually spends months on the visual effects for its shows and is working to expand its concepts and "concoct some new madness to suit this incredible venue." The full-album format, he said, mirrors what the band has been doing in some of its "one off" cities on the current tour.

The lineup includes co-founders Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, with drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold.

The residency extends the Fifty Something reunion tour, which had been scheduled to end next spring. The North American leg continues through Dec. 17, with two-night stops in Hollywood, Florida; Tampa; Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta; Glendale, Arizona; Edmonton, Alberta; and Vancouver, British Columbia, where it closes.

The band then heads to South America, opening Jan. 15 in Buenos Aires before shows in Santiago, Chile, and five Brazilian cities, ending Feb. 4 in Brasília. A European leg begins Feb. 19 in Paris and runs through Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. That stretch includes three nights at London's O2 Arena and closes April 10 in Helsinki, roughly six weeks before the first Sphere date.

Variety noted that most acts play Sphere separately from their regular touring schedules, while Rush's Las Vegas run will come shortly after its international dates wrap.

Rush had been widely considered finished after drummer Neil Peart died in 2020. Lee and Lifeson announced this year's tour with Nilles, who previously drummed for Jeff Beck. Some fans were skeptical at first, but Variety reported that the shows and Nilles' playing have won near-universal approval from the band's longtime followers.

The tour opened with four dates in Los Angeles. Recalling the first night in an interview with Rolling Stone, Lee said hearing the crowd helped the band settle in. "I was really proud of us that night," he said, adding that he counted off each song as it was finished.

Since U2 opened Sphere with the venue's first residency, the spherical arena has become a destination for concerts built around visuals. Metallica, the Eagles, Phish, Dead & Company, Kenny Chesney, the Zac Brown Band, No Doubt and the Backstreet Boys have also played there.

Five shows is a short booking by Sphere standards. Variety pointed out that residencies there typically grow as early dates sell out, and said that seems likely to happen with Rush, though no additional dates have been announced.