Anika Nilles Reflects on “Tom Sawyer” Fill at RUSH Kickoff Show: “Don’t F**k It Up”

Anika Nilles has reflected on her experience getting the gig as RUSH ’s drummer and playing her first concert with the band in a new Modern Drummer cover story.

In the interview, the drum discusses her first time playing the iconic drum fill of “Tom Sawyer” live in front of a RUSH audience at the tour’s June 7th kickoff show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

She said of the experience, “I was a little bit, like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ But, yeah, it felt really good to just bring that one out off the table. That was the most important song, I think, for the fans, and also for me to just nail that. And that was such a relief. Five seconds before the fill, I was, like, ‘Okay, let’s go. Don’t fuck it up. And let’s go.’ [Laughs] Maybe that was the thought to fans, too. I don’t know. [Laughs].”

She also discussed working with RUSH’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, as well as the process of learning the late Neil Peart’s drum parts and where she might be able to fit her own personality into the performances:

“If you know those two guys, they are so funny and they’re so human. And that made it really easy to connect to each other. So they treated me immediately, from first minute on, on the same level. I mean, they are legends. They could be whatever, whatever, arrogant or whatever. They are not. They are funny. They are so human. And this is a way where you have easy access to each other. But also they love to play music. They are very enthusiastic when it comes to play music. They love working on details. They are detailed when they work together, and you see them having fun and the energy they both have together, and I really can connect with that attitude. So I love energetic music. I love when someone is really focused on music and working on details. These are all points where I see myself also with my music.

So it’s a way, I think, which made it all easy for us to connect with each other. And that happened, actually, I would say immediately. I treat the music with great respect to the guys and also to Neil’s parts, because Neil is a big part of the music. And so I try to make careful decisions with a great deal of sensitivity of what I’m playing original and where there is room for me to play more free or more me or more improvising. But I go from song to song and make these decisions. And this [was] actually my preparation at home. So my homework [was], first off, to learn the songs because every song is kind of a blank page to me. So I really [had] to start from zero, learning the arrangements and learning the drum composition within the actual song arrangement. So Neil’s way to play the drums is basically an own composition, and this is what I mean. I treat it with great respect because that’s a huge skill he brought into it, and I wanna honor that.

And so I have to make these decisions really careful song by song, what I’m playing on original and where I go more free. And this [was] my preparation at home, but when we rehearse[d], then it [was] kind of a thing that we [had] more attention to the energy and to the feel of the song. And then we look[ed] back if my decisions were working out or if there [was] anything to adjust.

RUSH, with Nilles behind the kit, are currently on tour as part of their “Fifty Something” tour, which has received overwhelming acclaim thus far. Get tickets here .

RUSH 2026-2027 Tour Dates (new dates in bold): 09/02, Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [Buy Tickets] 09/04, Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [Buy Tickets] 09/12, Boston, MA @ TD Garden [Buy Tickets] 09/14, Boston, MA @ TD Garden [Buy Tickets] 09/17, Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena [Buy Tickets] 09/19, Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena [Buy Tickets] 09/23, San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center [Buy Tickets] 09/25, San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center [Buy Tickets] 10/01, Houston, TX @ Toyota Center 10/05, Denver, CO @ Ball Arena [Buy Tickets] 10/07, Denver, CO @ Ball Arena [Buy Tickets] 10/10, Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena [Buy Tickets] 10/12, Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena [Buy Tickets] 10/15, San Jose, CA @ SAP Center [Buy Tickets] 10/17, San Jose, CA @ SAP Center [Buy Tickets] 10/21, St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center 10/23, Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center 10/25, Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena [Buy Tickets] 10/27, Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena [Buy Tickets] 10/30, Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena [Buy Tickets] 11/01, Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena [Buy Tickets] 11/05, Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live [Buy Tickets] 11/07, Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live [Buy Tickets] 11/09, Tampa, FL @ Benchmark International Arena [Buy Tickets] 11/11, Tampa, FL @ Benchmark International Arena [Buy Tickets] 11/15, Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena 11/20, Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center [Buy Tickets] 11/22, Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center [Buy Tickets] 11/25, Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena [Buy Tickets] 11/27, Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena [Buy Tickets] 12/01, Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena [Buy Tickets] 12/03, Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena [Buy Tickets] 12/10, Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place [Buy Tickets] 12/12, Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place [Buy Tickets] 12/15, Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [Buy Tickets] 12/17, Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [Buy Tickets]

01/15, Buenos Aires, AR @ Movistar Arena 01/17, Santiago, CL @ Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida 01/19, Santiago, CL @ Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida 01/22, Curitiba, BR @ Arena da Baixada 01/24, São Paulo, BR @ Allianz Parque 01/26, São Paulo, BR @ Allianz Parque 01/30, Rio de Janeiro, BR @ Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos (Engenhão) 02/01, Belo Horizonte, BR @ Estádio Mineirão 02/04, Brasília, BR @ Arena BRB Mané Garrincha 02/19, Paris, FR @ Plenitude Arena 02/21, Berlin, DE @ Uber Arena 02/23, Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome 02/25, Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle 02/28, Cologne, DE @ LANXESS Arena 03/02, Hamburg, DE @ Barclays Arena 03/04, Stuttgart, DE @ Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle 03/08, Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro 03/10, Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro 03/12, Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live 03/14, Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live 03/16, London, UK @ O2 Arena 03/18, London, UK @ O2 Arena 03/21, London, UK @ O2 Arena 03/27, Kraków, PL @ TAURON Arena Kraków 03/30, Milan, IT @ Unipol Dome 04/01, Basel, CH @ St. Jakobshalle Basel 04/04, Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena 04/06, Oslo, NO @ Unity Arena 04/08, Stockholm, SE @ Avicii Arena 04/10, Helsinki, FI @ Veikkaus Arena