 | Written by Alex Stojanovic (C) 2026 MetalMasterKingdom.com RUSH Fifty Something Tour 2026 (Night 4 of 4) @ Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON, Canada August 13, 2026 There's a first time for everything, and as I mentioned in the previous review of the opening night of the Toronto residency of Rush's Fifty Something Tour, for the first time, I'm writing a second review of the same show due to having the opportunity to see it twice. The Fifty Something Tour is without a doubt one of 2026's biggest tours, and was one of the most anticipated, and most people have gotten tickets to multiple nights in the same city or multiple cities, rightfully so. Although I wasn't planning on it at first, an opportunity presented itself to go a second time, and I took to it like a fish in water, and it just happened to be the fourth and final night of the hometown residency on August 13. The only changes were going to be some setlist swaps. Each night featured alterations to the set, with the third night seeing the band spoil the fans with Moving Pictures in its entirety for the first time in 15 years to celebrate the album's 45th anniversary this year. If I could've also gone to that night, or all four nights even, I would have. |
With the same setup as the first night that I went, "Xanadu" and "Limelight" began the festivites, and with several of the same songs remaining like "Subdivisions", "Freewill", "Bravado" and "Spirit Of Radio". Some of the swaps that appeared in the first set included "The Pass", "The Anarchist", "The Trees" and "The Camera Eye". The latter featured a really hypnotic and beautifully crafted piano intro from Loren Gold. I just have to quickly say that it was nice to hear "The Pass" because this song always got me through tough times, and having gone through another tough time earlier this year, this song once again helped pull me through it. I know this song has helped many people out there. As "Spirit Of Radio" closed out the first set once again, the band headed backstage for a breather and the skrim came down with a 25-minute countdown until it was time for set #2.
Us hardcore fans were now in for an absolute wet dream as the band kicked off the second set with the entire side 1 of "2112", which hasn't been done since the Test For Echo Tour in 1997. Another huge moment for us die-hard fans was the return of "A Farewell To Kings" for the first time since the Hemispheres Tour in 1978. It was another moment where Geddy showed his returned prowess of the high notes. As the second set continued on, another song swap from the other night was "New World Man", while the remainder of the songs were repeats from the first night, those being "Far Cry", "Time Stand Still", "Vital Signs", "YYZ", "The Garden" and "Tom Sawyer", and the encore being an exact repeat of the first night with "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" and "Working Man". I do know that they also do "Finding My Way" in the encore as well, but I didn't get lucky. Maybe next time, eh?!
One thing that has become a tradition on this tour is at the end of "Working Man", while Geddy and Alex would goof around with trying to outdo each other, Anika would pull a gag on them before hitting the final hit, and each night on the tour featured something different. While it started out mainly with a simple exchange of "oh okay" or a wave, it quickly developed into more humourous gags from a phone selfie, reacting to Alex holding a fake pigeon and reading a newspaper, but the closing Toronto night featured one of the best surprises that no one, not even Geddy and Alex saw coming, and that was the return of The Bag (if you know, you know). Anika slipped a bag with the face of The Bag drawn on it, causing Geddy, Alex, and all the hardcore fans who know the hilarious backstory, to erupt with laughter. If that's not a genius way to close out a show, I don't know what is.
I left these two shows inspired and overwhelmed with emotion after getting to witness my favourite band once again after believing that I would never ever see them again. As I mentioned in the first review, we can definitely expect another opportunity to see them in the future given how much work they have put into their performance and physical health, all while receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from the fans and critics alike. Until next time gentlemen and lady!
Us hardcore fans were now in for an absolute wet dream as the band kicked off the second set with the entire side 1 of "2112", which hasn't been done since the Test For Echo Tour in 1997. Another huge moment for us die-hard fans was the return of "A Farewell To Kings" for the first time since the Hemispheres Tour in 1978. It was another moment where Geddy showed his returned prowess of the high notes. As the second set continued on, another song swap from the other night was "New World Man", while the remainder of the songs were repeats from the first night, those being "Far Cry", "Time Stand Still", "Vital Signs", "YYZ", "The Garden" and "Tom Sawyer", and the encore being an exact repeat of the first night with "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" and "Working Man". I do know that they also do "Finding My Way" in the encore as well, but I didn't get lucky. Maybe next time, eh?!
One thing that has become a tradition on this tour is at the end of "Working Man", while Geddy and Alex would goof around with trying to outdo each other, Anika would pull a gag on them before hitting the final hit, and each night on the tour featured something different. While it started out mainly with a simple exchange of "oh okay" or a wave, it quickly developed into more humourous gags from a phone selfie, reacting to Alex holding a fake pigeon and reading a newspaper, but the closing Toronto night featured one of the best surprises that no one, not even Geddy and Alex saw coming, and that was the return of The Bag (if you know, you know). Anika slipped a bag with the face of The Bag drawn on it, causing Geddy, Alex, and all the hardcore fans who know the hilarious backstory, to erupt with laughter. If that's not a genius way to close out a show, I don't know what is.
I left these two shows inspired and overwhelmed with emotion after getting to witness my favourite band once again after believing that I would never ever see them again. As I mentioned in the first review, we can definitely expect another opportunity to see them in the future given how much work they have put into their performance and physical health, all while receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from the fans and critics alike. Until next time gentlemen and lady!
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