For years, fans have wondered whether Rush would ever leave its legendary name behind after the heartbreaking loss of Neil Peart. Now, Geddy Lee has finally revealed the deeply personal reason why that conversation ended with one emotional decision—and it wasn’t just about tradition. The story goes far beyond a band name, touching on Neil’s legacy, a difficult choice behind the scenes, and the one blessing that changed everything before Rush stepped forward again. If you’ve followed Rush through the decades, this explanation hits harder than most fans expected.

Geddy Lee opened up about why Rush won’t be changing its name following Neil Peart’s death.

In a recent Classic Rock cover story, the band’s lead vocalist and bassist revealed why the band will continue on as Rush for its Fifty Something tour.

“What do you f—ing call it?” Lee, 72, told the publication of the group’s name.

“When the band ended, we said it’s only Rush with Neil in it. Which of course is true. Rush as most people know it. But, you know, over five gigs we will be playing 40 Rush songs. So what the f— should we call it, Iron Maiden?” he teased.

Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will be joined on tour with new drummer Anika Nilles, but Lee admittedly said the band had tried to use a different name for a while.

However, Peart’s family gave their permission for the group to tour under the name Rush again.

“We were twisting ourselves into a pretzel to try to avoid using the name that we have had for 50 years, and even before Neil came,” said Lee.

He continued. “It just seems silly to go on as Lee and Lifeson Present The Music Of….Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Let’s just be who we are and have been for over 50 years.”

Lee, however, noted the realities of playing Rush songs without Peart, who died in January 2020 at the age of 67.

“Without Neil… I’ll be frank. There are some songs you play where it kind of hits you, it’s bad, and it feels weird. And it’s appropriate that that happens. You know what I mean?” he said.

Lee also confirmed the band will honor Peart throughout the tour.

“If we just picked up and went on without feeling any tug of anything, that would be absurd, that would be a whole other thing,” he said. “And there’ll be moments in both sets where we’ll pay tribute to him. We’re working hard on that, making sure that it’s appropriate.”

Formed in 1968, Rush released its self-titled debut album in 1974. Throughout their career, they released songs including “Limelight,” “YYZ,” “Time Stand Still” and “La Villa Strangiato.” In 2012, Rush shared its final album, Clockwork Angels.

Rush will kick off its U.S. leg of the Fifty Something tour in June and will perform through December. In 2027, the band will head out on an international tour.