What a Time We Had: When Rush Played at the Juno Awards

If you had told me a year ago that I would be seeing Rush reunite, I doubt I would have believed it. Yes, Geddy and Alex had performed at a couple of tribute concerts, but for all intents and purposes, any talk of attending a Rush concert seemed quite unlikely. And that was okay. I understood that after Neil lost his battle with cancer, Alex and Geddy put the band aside and focused on other things. Time passed. Alex and Geddy often kept in touch, and they still enjoyed playing music. It was healing for them. It made them happy. But I honestly didn't think they would ever get back to being working musicians again.

But times change. And at a certain point, Alex and Geddy decided to create the next iteration of Rush. When they made the announcement in Cleveland at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they asked me to be there. But I was as surprised as most people when they announced they had chosen a drummer and were getting ready to perform again. 

That drummer was Anika Nilles, and that in itself was notable. Having long been told that Rush was a band for guys, and few if any women liked them (not true then, not true now), it was quite a change to see a woman join the band. I can only imagine Neil with a big smile on his face, seeing that the next iteration of Rush has Anika behind the drum kit. And she happens to be a very good drummer. As I said on social media, if she were not a very good drummer, Alex and Geddy would not have chosen her. But more than that, if she were not a good person and someone the two felt comfortable with, I doubt she'd be part of the band. Friendship matters: Alex and Geddy often said that they thought of Neil as a close friend, and they all liked to spend time with each other; they liked to joke around and make each other laugh. I don't know what kind of friendship Alex and Geddy will have with Anika (or with Loren Gold, the new keyboard player), but I get the impression they will all have a good time making music and entertaining the fans.

The other night, the band made its surprise debut, playing at the Juno Awards. The song they played was surprising too-- "Finding My Way," which we did very well with at WMMS when I was there. After "Working Man" was getting played to death, listeners wanted to know what else was on that first album, and I chose "Finding My Way." I still love to hear it, and those opening chords bring back a lot of memories. I thought Rush's performance was inspiring. As I saw it, they were at the beginning of a great adventure, one that nobody thought would ever happen a year ago. I give Anika a lot of credit-- she is stepping into a difficult gig, because while many fans will love her for herself, some will want to compare her to Neil.

I hope they don't. What I saw was a new iteration of Rush doing what they loved best-- playing music, and playing it well. It put a smile on my face, because even Geddy had told me a few months ago that he had no idea how many concerts someone of his chronological age would be able to play. Based on what I heard, the band still sounds good. Geddy's range isn't what it was 25 years ago, but it doesn't need to be. He still can hit the notes he needs to. Alex can still play in a very impressive manner. And Anika is a welcome addition, someone who is bringing new energy and new perspectives to the band.

And watching them perform at the Juno Awards, I kept remembering a younger and more inexperienced version of the band, back when John Rutsey was still the drummer. They were three guys from Toronto with no idea what the future held for them, amazed to be in Cleveland in late June of 1974, amazed that people loved "Working Man," getting ready to perform at the Allen Theater and hoping to make a good impression. They did then. They still do now. Many years have passed, and now it's a new version of the band I've loved for so many years. It was wonderful to see Rush up on stage again, in March 2026, getting ready to go on tour, and bringing so much joy to so many people.        

        

Keeping the Audience Informed: Some Thoughts About the FCC

When I was on the radio in the 60s and 70s, the Federal Communications Commission was a major presence in our lives. Back then, FCC inspectors might come into the area unexpectedly, usually to make sure a station's tower lights were working properly, but for other reasons too. If memory serves, inspectors could also come in and examine a station's public file, and they could get in touch to investigate listener complaints. During my time in college radio, we often used euphemisms when referring to the FCC-- the two I recall were the Friendly Candy Company and Fat Cousin Charlie, but there may have been others. And we were supposed to display our licenses on a wall, in a visible place, because back then, even the deejays had to have at least a 3rd class FCC license. We jokingly called the studio location where all our licenses were displayed the Ben F. Waple Memorial Wall, named for the (very much alive) Secretary of the FCC, whose signature was on our licenses.   

As deejays, we worried about playing songs that had bad words in them-- in album rock, that was a growing concern. Record companies often provided us with the "clean" version of the hit single, but if it was an album track, it might contain one of the words that weren't supposed to be played on the air. We had to be cautious-- we knew the FCC was a conservative agency and it didn't especially like album rock music. We never wanted to play something that could put our license in jeopardy.

On the other hand, I don't recall the FCC ever getting involved with our newscasts. Of course, back then, we lived under the Fairness Doctrine, so the typical newscast tended to stick to the facts, usually read in a very serious manner. Opinions were only expressed in an editorial, and that was usually read by the station's general manager. Radio stations did have talk shows back then, and contrary to myth, there were both liberal and conservative hosts on the air. But everyone was aware of what the Fairness Doctrine required, and we all made an effort to avoid violating the rules.  

And yet, despite living in conservative times, those of us on FM were still able to broadcast news stories about anti-war demonstrations, or play lots of anti-war songs. (A few of those songs even became top-40 hits.) And while President Johnson (a Democrat) and President Nixon (a Republican) were undoubtedly annoyed by the anti-war movement and not happy that the mainstream media were covering it, the FCC did not tell us to stop. We continued to play the songs we wanted to play, and we broadcast the news stories that we thought our listeners ought to hear.  

Fast forward to today, in a time when the six giant conglomerates that control most of the media are about to be reduced to five. Several days ago, the chairman of the FCC issued a warning to the press that if they did not begin providing the kind of favorable coverage of the Iran war that the president demanded, licenses could be in jeopardy. First Amendment advocates were horrified: there is nothing in the constitution that says "the president defines freedom of the press and he can restrict it at any time." No, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech, are not decided by the government, which is the entire point the Founding Fathers were making when the Bill of Rights was written. And yet, reporters are being told on a regular basis what they should cover and how they should cover it. 

Fortunately, most reporters are resisting, no matter how many rude names they are called. And most news outlets are still covering the news the way it ought to be covered: fairly and accurately. A few outlets have bent the knee, or tried to avoid getting the president angry-- which has proved to be a difficult task. But for the most part, the news is still being covered, with a focus on the facts. And now, that has earned reporters a stern rebuke from the chairman of the FCC, a loyal ally of the president. I'm sure when I was on the air, the FCC chair was an ally of the president too. But back then, the FCC evidently did not see itself as an arm of the White House. Nor should it ever be. For our democracy to flourish, even in difficult times, reporters need to be free to do their jobs. The audience needs to be kept informed. And the FCC needs to go back to whatever it is that the FCC does in this era of deregulation-- which should never involve meddling with the First Amendment, no matter what the president says.