Rush Finally Make the Cover of Rolling Stone

Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: Rush have finally made the cover of Rolling Stone – and it’s happening well before the actual year 2112. It’s been more than four decades since the band formed its current lineup – and 34 years since its commercial breakthrough, 1981’s Moving Pictures –­ but the Canadian trio is moving as close as ever to pop culture’s center, with a hit documentary, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more.

For the in-depth, career-spanning cover story, senior writer Brian Hiatt ­trailed the band to early tour rehearsals in Los Angeles and soundchecks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, interviewing Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson about their lives and careers, from their childhoods to their Eighties evolution to the recording of 2012’s Clockwork Angels. Throughout the story, one question looms: Can their current run of shows, which kicked off May 8th in Tulsa, really be their “last major tour of this magnitude,” as they’ve called it? The band members themselves don’t seem altogether sure.

“It’s most likely our last tour,” says Lee. “I couldn’t put it any more accurately. I can’t say for sure. But it doesn’t mean we don’t want to work together still, it doesn’t mean we won’t do another creative project and I’ve got ideas for shows we could do that don’t involve a tour.”

The issue’s cover photograph is by Peggy Sirota, and the full cover story is online here.