GEDDY LEE On Still Singing RUSH Songs In Original Keys: ‘It Was Important To Me To Do As Many Original Versions For Our Audience As We Could’
Rush bassist and singer Geddy Lee says vocal training has enabled him to perform many of the band’s songs in their original keys on the “Fifty Something” tour. The return is significant because it is Rush’s first tour in more than a decade and its first since drummer Neil Peart’s death in 2020.
Lee began working with vocal coach Mitch Seekins about 18 months ago after not singing for 11 years, aiming to rebuild the strength and technique needed for his range. He said the work involves breathing, vocal positioning and analysing performance videos, comparing the process to physical gym training; Rush now features Lee and Alex Lifeson alongside drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold.
- Geddy Lee rebuilt his voice to sing Rush songs in original keys.
- Rush is touring for the first time in over a decade.
- Vocal coaching focused on range, strength and technique.
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Rush are a Canadian rock band formed in the 1960s, best known for songs built around Geddy Lee’s high voice, bass playing and keyboards, Alex Lifeson’s guitar and Neil Peart’s drumming. Lee and Lifeson are the band’s surviving core members; Peart died in 2020.
Lee had not sung for 11 years before preparing for the current tour, and has described rebuilding his voice with a coach through breathing and technique exercises. The band’s line-up now includes drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold, allowing Lee and Lifeson to perform Rush’s music with new musicians.
The original song keys are the pitches in which the band first recorded the music. They matter because changing them can alter how familiar songs sound, while singing them as recorded places particular demands on Lee’s voice.