On Aug. 1, 2015, Rush played their final show at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The setlist consisted of 26 songs [via Setlist.fm], so keep reading to see which tracks were played and some footage from the night.
Unlike many other legendary acts, Rush never embarked on a “farewell tour.” In January of 2015, they announced a 40th anniversary run instead, which ended up being their last batch of performances together before drummer Neil Peart died in early 2020.
In a statement on their website, they subtly warned fans that the tour may be their last, writing, “After 40 years together and 20 gold and platinum studio albums — Rush is ready to celebrate with the most loyal fans in the world by embarking on their 21st tour, one which will most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude.”
The trek concluded with a grand performance at The Forum, which consisted of two different sets and an encore, for a total of 26 songs. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson apparently wanted to carry on a bit longer, but Peart was content with the finale.
“That tour started out in a very good mood. We’d put a lot of effort into designing this theatrical retrospective in reverse. It was a lot of fun, but as the tour wound down, the mood started to change and it split into two camps,” Lee told The Guardian of the tour in November of 2023.
“Neil was getting happier and Alex and I were getting sadder, because we really wanted to bring the tour to fans around the world, but Neil had agreed to do 30 shows. He felt as if he was approaching liberation, so we were quite divided by the end.”
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The drummer was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, about a year after Rush’s final show. Thus, his feelings about doing one-off performances with the band were “not as enthusiastic,” according to Lee [via The Strombo Show].
Both Lee and Lifeson were aware of Peart’s diagnosis at the time, and helped him keep it a secret for over three years. His illness wasn’t disclosed to the public until after he died on Jan. 7, 2020.
To commemorate the final performance of Rush, we listed the songs they played and included some clips from the night below.
Rush Final Concert Setlist – Aug. 1, 2015 [via Setlist.fm]
1. The Anarchist
2. Headlong Flight
3. Far Cry
4. The Main Monkey Business
5. One Little Victory
6. Animate
7. Roll the Bones
8. Distant Early Warning
9. Losing It
10. Subdivisions
11. Tom Sawyer
12. Red Barchetta
13. The Spirit of Radio
14. Jacob’s Ladder
15. Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres Part I: Prelude
16. Cygnus X-1
17. Closer to the Heart
18. Xanadu
19. 2112 Part I: Overture
20. 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
21. 2112 Part IV: Presentation
22. 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
23. Lakeside Park
24. Anthem
25. What You’re Doing
26. Working Man
Rush, ‘Tom Sawyer’ (Aug. 1, 2015 – Last Show)
Rush, ‘Lakeside Park’ + ‘Anthem’ (Aug. 1, 2015 – Last Show)
Rush, ‘Working Man’ (Aug. 1, 2015 – Last Show)
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum
