Anika Nilles adapts her technique learning Neil Peart’s drumming
To master a musical challenge is often to redefine the self. For drummer Anika Nilles, preparing for the ongoing Rush Fifty Something tour required far more than just practicing notes—it demanded a fundamental transformation of her playing. It was a journey where the quest for perfect technique took a backseat to the pursuit of authentic musical feeling.
When asked about this shift, Nilles emphasized the rewarding nature of the challenge. Rolling Stone Canada featured her sharing that she loved to be challenged, viewing the process as an opportunity to make her playing feel more true to her character. “I was up to let go of what I had studied for many years to improve my own style and my own character on the drums to make them feel good and feel at home in their own music,” she explained.
This evolution involved consciously releasing certain long-held technical habits that, while precise, did not serve the emotional core of the music. Nilles described this as a necessary creative act: “When that means I have to let go of certain things which I trained on for many years to be perfect in that, but it doesn’t fit to the music, then that’s the task. I do that. And by that I learned so many things [for] my own playing at the same time, which I can in the end, after this, can put everything together. I think that makes me an even better musician in the end.”
The transition wasn’t merely theoretical; it was put to the ultimate test when preparing for performances of Rush’s iconic track, Tom Sawyer. Achieving the specific feel required by the band—the dynamic, soulful quality needed to resonate with Alex and Geddy Lee—posed a unique technical hurdle for Nilles. Achieving that specific feeling, she noted, required a recalibration of her approach.
To find the right sound and feel, Nilles had to move away from relying on pure technique and shift toward playing from muscle power. This change allowed the performance to sit correctly and convey the necessary emotion. It was a commitment to prioritizing feeling over rigid mechanical execution, a crucial adjustment for bringing the classic riffs to life.
This journey of artistic recalibration is part of a larger endeavor. Having spent a full year rehearsing with Rush members, Nilles is now ready to bring this new, deeply felt approach to the stage for the Fifty Something tour, which spans multiple dates across Europe and beyond throughout 2026 and 2027.
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