VEGAS MUSIC NEWS: Rush to Play 5 at Sphere, Tim McGraw Extends Caesars Palace Run

Rush will return to Las Vegas next year for a five-show residency at Sphere, marking the band’s first extended engagement in the city and one of its most ambitious projects since resuming activity after drummer and lyricist Neil Peart‘s death in 2020.

The residency, titled “Elevate From the Norm,” is scheduled for May 21, 23, 26, 28 and 30, 2027. Founding members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will be joined by drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold, who are also part of the band’s ongoing “Fifty Something” tour.

According to the band, the shows will celebrate Rush’s catalog and Peart’s legacy. Lee indicated the concerts could feature complete performances of the classic albums 2112 and Moving Pictures, along with additional material from across the band’s career.

“When I first heard of Sphere, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, what a shame that Rush is no longer touring, because this venue sounds tailor made for the kind of visual attitude with which we have always designed our shows,” Lee said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Life is nothing if not surprising and now, here we are, living and touring in the present tense and we are able to make that particular dream come true.”

The announcement comes more than a decade after Rush’s last Las Vegas performance, a July 2015 stop at MGM Grand Garden Arena on its “R40” tour, the final trek to feature Peart. Lifeson has previously credited a backstage conversation with Paul McCartney in 2022 as one factor that encouraged the band to return to performing.

Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13 via rush.com/sphere, with presales and VIP travel packages available beforehand through the band’s official channels.

Quick Draw McGraw

Tim McGraw will return to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for five additional shows in 2027, following his current residency engagement and recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

McGraw announced the new dates from the stage during his performance on Wednesday, Nov. 4, telling fans, “We’ve been talkin’ to ’em, and we’re coming back in May.”

The 2027 dates are scheduled for May 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29.

“That’s a lot, for an old guy,” he added.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Monday, Nov. 9 through Ticketmaster, with various presales beginning Nov. 5.