Despite rumbling of potential Rush or Rush-adjacent shows in the future, guitarist and Epiphone endorsee Alex Lifeson is still fighting against his arthritis.
In an interview with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM, Lifeson said he’s going through treatment but sadly the condition is “slowly getting worse”.
“I have psoriatic arthritis, and I’ve been dealing with it for quite a while – for almost 20 years,” said Lifeson. “I’m on two biologics [biologic drugs for the treatment of arthritis], so sort of like a double whammy in dealing with it.
“And it’s been very, very effective. Despite the side effects and all of that, it’s been a really effective regimen for me, and it’s really helped my hands. I have times where the inflammation has its own mind, and that’s when you’ll see me shaking my hands [while I am playing].
“But it is what it is, and I can still get by, and I’m so used to it, I don’t really even think about it that much anymore.”
As for those possible Lee-Lifeson shows, it doesn’t seem too feasible. “The last tour I thought was a terrific tour for Rush,” he said. “I thought we played really well. I thought the show was really fun. Going back in time to the beginning was a great way to celebrate the end of the band.
“I don’t know if, at 70 years old, 10 years later, if I can play like I played back then. I haven’t played that material in nine years. And if I can’t play it like I played it nine years ago, then I really have no interest in doing it.
“I think Rush has a strong legacy because of the way things ended. We ended on a high note, and that’s the way people remember us. And I think that that also is partly the reason why so many people would love to see us back out, because that’s the memory they have of us.
“We were dedicated to what we were doing. We practiced a lot. We were passionate. We played our hearts out. Physically, 10 years later, at this stage, [after] these 10 years, I don’t know if we can do that.
“I don’t know, can Ged sing like he did? Can I play guitar? Can he play bass like he did? I don’t know. Unless we did a big rehearsal and tried to do all that stuff, we’ll never know. But just thinking intellectually how this would work, I’m not keen on doing it, really.”
