“Nobody cares about new material anymore. They just want to hear the old stuff from guys like us”: Alex Lifeson says he’s jamming with Geddy Lee again – but they sound like a “really bad tribute band” at times

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson reveals he has recently been jamming with his bandmate, Rush bassist and lead singer Geddy Lee.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Lifeson unveils what's happening behind the scenes and why there are currently no plans to take their songs out on the road.

“It’s funny because we sound like a really bad tribute band for the first three or four run-throughs on these things,” he reveals. “It’s 'Oh, my God, what did I play there? Why did I play that so hard?

“And then muscle memory kicks in, and we’re having a ball doing it. It’s good for the fingers. We’re together in a room like we’ve always been. That’s been really good, but there’s no chance that we’re going to get a drummer and go back on the road as the rebirth of Rush or something like that. And if we wanted to write new material, nobody cares about new material anymore. They just want to hear the old stuff from guys like us.”

Despite these recent jamming sessions and Lee publicly talking about a possible live reunion, Lifeson doubled down that he's not convinced they should tour again, particularly because of his recent health issues. 

“No, we’ve talked about it in depth, and I was waffling between maybe considering it and not. And then my health issues came up. I know if we went on the road, it couldn’t be like we used to do it.”

In a recent interview with Guitar World, Lifeson explained how doing the book tour with Lee for the bassist's memoir My Effin' Life, and their reunion for 2022's Taylor Hawkins tribute shows temporarily reignited his passion for touring.

“So for a little while I thought, you know, it’d be kind of good to get back out,” he mused. “And then I thought… nah, not really.”

However, he didn't exclude any further song collaborations with Lee. “I mean, we toured for 40 years. I’m not interested in going back out on tour. I don’t wanna sit in a hotel room for hours and hours and hours to work for a couple of hours. 

“Been there, done it, loved it. But that’s in the past. So whether Ged and I get back together again and write or do anything, we’ll see. Until then, there’s plenty to work on, you know?”