Rock and Roll Hall of Fame prog rockers Rush are gearing up for their first tour in 11 years. The Canadian legends announced the dates for a 12-show North American swing they are calling the Fifty Something tour on Monday morning (Oct. 6), marking the first time singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson will hit the road since the group wrapped their R40 40th anniversary tour in August 1, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles

According to a release, the outing will be a celebration of Rush’s “music, legacy and the life of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart”; the band’s time-keeper and primary lyricist died of the brain cancer glioblastoma on Jan. 7, 2020 at age 67.

Fittingly, the tour will kick off on June 7 with the first of two shows at the KIA Forum in L.A., followed by shows in Mexico City, Fort Worth, Chicago, New York and Toronto, wrapping up on Sept. 17 at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The “evening with” shows will feature the band playing two sets a night, with each show featuring a distinctive set of songs pulled from a setlist of 35 hits and fan favorites. They will be joined on the dates by German drummer/composer/producer Anika Nilles, 41, who has performed with Jeff Beck and released four solo albums.

“It’s been over 10 years since Alex and I have performed the music of RUSH alongside our fallen bandmate and friend Neil,” wrote Lee in a statement. “A lifetime’s worth of songs that we had put our cumulative hearts and souls into writing, recording and playing together onstage. And so, after all that has gone down since that last show, Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we fucking miss it, and that it’s time for a celebration of 50-something years of RUSH music. So in 2026 my BFF Lerxst (aka Alex Lifeson) and I are going to hit the road once again to pay tribute to our past and to Neil by performing a vast selection of RUSH songs in a handful of cities. No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable.”

Lee added, “Yet life is full of surprises, and we’ve have been introduced to another remarkable person; an incredible drummer and musician who is adding another chapter to our story while continuing her own fascinating musical journey. Her name is Anika Nilles, and we could not be more excited to introduce her to our loyal and dedicated RUSH fanbase, whom, we know, will give her every chance to live up to that near impossible role. Before we hit the stage, we also hope to add another musician or two to expand our sound a wee bit and free up Alex and I, in order to show off some of our new fancy dance steps.”

The latter is a notable change from the band’s long-standing power trio lineup, which had Lee singing and playing both keyboards and bass.

Fans can get in on a RUSH artist pre-sale by signing up here by Thursday (Oct. 9) at 11:50 p.m. ET; artist pre-sales for the tour are being hosted by multiple sites, but anyone who signs up can join the pre-sale. No code is needed for artist pre-sales on Ticketmaster, with tickets tied to an individual’s account, though the artist pre-sale for SeatGeek for Cleveland will require a code. The Artist pre-sale begins on Oct. 13 at 12 p.m. local time in the U.S. and Canada and Oct. 16 at 12 p.m. local time in Mexico. The general on-sale beings on Oct. 17 at 12 p.m. local time for the U.S. and Canada and 11 a.m. local time for Mexico.

Lee added that he, Lifeson and the team’s crew have been hard at work rehearsing and designing the new show, with Peart’s widow, Carrie Nuttall-Peart and daughter, Olivia Peart, saying in a statement, “We are thrilled to support the Fifty Something tour, celebrating a band whose music has resonated and inspired fans for generations, and to honor Neil’s extraordinary legacy as both a drummer and lyricist. Neil’s musicianship was singular. Compositions of intricacy and power that expanded what rhythm itself could express. As both drummer and lyricist, he was irreplaceable. Inimitable in his artistry, and unmatched in the depth and imagination he brought to the lyrics that inspired and moved so many, he profoundly shaped how fans connected with him and the band, giving voice and meaning to their own lives. As the band enters this new chapter, it promises to be truly unforgettable. We are excited to see how their new vision unfolds, and to hear this legendary music played live once again.”

Lee and Lifeson sent a special message to Rush fans on Monday morning in a cheeky five-minute video in which they reminisced about all the time they’ve spent jamming in the basement and the few musical projects they’ve done together since Peart’s death, which have included performing at the South Park 25th anniversary celebration and the tributes to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, both in 2022. Lee said those appearances were “bittersweet” for “obvious reasons.”

“We’re musicians and we’re players and out music is special,” Lifeson said of his realization of just how unique the band’s music is now that he’s had quite a bit of time away from it. “I realized how difficult it is to play, but how rich it is in its music and lyrics and everything it represented,” he said, nothing that the 35 songs will rotate in and out and that each night will feature a part of the show that a tribute to Peart and his memory and “everything that he was to us.”

Rush just released the 50-track super deluxe anthology RUSH 50, which runs from the first-ever reissue of their 1973 debut single through a live recording of the final song Lee, Lifeson and Peart played together during the R40 tour closer at the Forum.

Watch the announcement video and see the full list of 2026 Rush Fifty Something dates below.

2026 Fifty Something dates

Luke Combs has surpassed Garth Brooks as the highest-certified country artist in history by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Combs has sold and streamed a combined 168 million units (units can be albums or singles), according to RIAA. Brooks stands at 162.5 million and had held the record for more than 20 years.

“When my team first told me about this, my initial reaction was, ‘Are you sure? There’s no way.’ It was only 8 years ago that I got my first [RIAA] plaque for ‘Hurricane’ going gold,” Combs said in a statement. “I knew then, without a doubt, I had the best fans in the world. The song had gone platinum before they could even give me the gold plaque. I’m super humbled by the fans’ belief in me and support of my music today and over the years. I know this does not happen without them. This achievement is more so theirs than it is mine. All I ever hoped and dreamed of from the beginning of this crazy ride was to make music that made people feel something and I can’t wait to continue making country music for the rest of my life.”

Combs already held the record for the most Diamond-certified singles for a country artist with four. Diamond-certified singles have sold/streamed 10 million units, and Combs’ four to surpass that tally are “Beautiful Crazy,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “Hurricane” and “She Got the Best of Me.”

The news comes as Combs’ current single, “Back in the Saddle,” climbs to No. 8 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. On Friday, Combs released The Prequel, a three-song set with “My Kinda Saturday Night,” “15 Minutes” and “Days Like These” via Sony Music Nashville.

It’s already been a stellar year for Combs, who is up for three awards at November’s CMA Awards, including entertainer of the year, and recently announced that he and wife Nicole are expecting their third child. After his extensive worldwide tour in 2024, Combs has concentrated on playing festivals this year and is the first country artist to headline both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. Later this month, he will headline the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Drake is the RIAA’s highest-certified artist across all genres, with 298.5 units sold and streamed, followed by Taylor Swift at 242.5 million units. Combs now stands at ninth among all artists.

BLACKPINK‘s JISOO is getting ready to be back in your area. The K-pop superstar posted a tease of what Blinks think is her next single on Sunday (Oct. 5) in the form of an elegant poster in which she is depicted wearing a black leather dress, her long black hair cascading past her waist as a shadowy figure lurks in the background.

Across the bottom of the image is the phrase that appears to be the title of her upcoming single, “Eyes Closed,” which is accompanied by another tantalizing tease in the caption, “a duet is near.” At press time no release date or additional information on who JISOO may be dueting with on the track was available.

The new song would be JISOO’s first new solo material outside of the group since she dropped her debut solo EP, Amortage, in February on her own Blissoo/Warner Records imprint. The five-track collection featured the singles “Earthquake” and “Your Love,” as well as “Tears” and “Hugs & Kisses” and it reached No. 11 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, marking the singer’s first entry on that tally; “Earthquake” peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Global 200.

She released a hypnotizing visual for the mid-tempo pop tune “Your Love” in August, in which she rocks a pink princess gown while meandering through a mystical, natural landscape at the lush Rainforest Wild ASIA adventure park in Singapore.

Jisoo gets a chance to flex her solo vocals on BLACKPINK’s current Deadline world tour, when she performs “Earthquake” and “Your Love” in the second act alongside LISA’s solo singles “New Woman” and “Rockstar.” After a pair of shows at Wembley stadium in London in mid-August, the group will move on to Rajamangala National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Oct. 18 and 19.

To be fair, Taylor Swift is a 35-year-old woman who is engaged to be married. Still, you have to imagine that if there was a family listening party for the singer’s just-released 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, there must have some cheeks streaked red with embarrassment when track nine, “Wood,” popped up.

If somehow you haven’t yet heard what is widely being perceived as one of the LP’s several sweaty homages to Swift’s fiancé, NFL tight end Travis Kelce, then you’re missing out on such lusty lines as: “Forgive me, it sounds cocky/ He ah-matized me and opened my eyes/ Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see/ His love was the key that opened my thighs.”

Now we know exactly how Swift’s mother, Andrea, reacted to the news that “a hard rock is on the way.” In a chat with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up on Monday morning (Oct. 6), Swift told co-host Nicole Ryan that her mother “thinks that that song is about superstitions, popular superstitions, which… it absolutely is,” the singer said of the track that opens with images of black cats, stepping on cracks and knocking on wood for good luck.

“Aw, Andrea, we love you, so sweet,” Ryan said.

“That’s the joy of the double entendre. That song, you could read that song for people and it just goes right over their head,” Swift said with a knowing laugh. “That song you, you see in that song what you wanna see in that song.”

Swift also delved into her increasing use of profanity and explicit lyrics in songs on the album that sold nearly three million copies on its first day of release, something she said is meant to amp up the drama in her songs.

“If it… to me improves the intensity of the moment or if, in terms of syllables or just consonance and vowels, if, if to me it pops off more, you know, there are certain lyrics that just bounce more,” Swift explained. “Or if it feels like it’s a part of the vernacular of how that character that I’m kind of cosplaying in that song would speak. Like, there are a lot of different reasons you choose to throw in a swear word or like a certain phrase or a sort of alliteration or whatever. But that’s what I love so much about songwriting is those, those decisions are fun and oftentimes hilarious to make.”

Listen to Swift describe her mom’s reaction to “Wood” below.

Lola Young has taken legal action against “Messy” collaborator Carter Lang following a dispute over songwriting credits.

The BBC reports that Young has filed an intellectual property court claim in London against Lang after he claimed songwriting credits on four of her songs, something which she “strongly” refutes. The songs in question have not been named at this time.

“It is with immense disappointment, especially given recent events, that we have had no choice but to respond to recent writing credit claims from Carter Lang on four Lola Young songs by issuing legal proceedings on her behalf,” a statement from Young’s lawyers reads. The case was filed on Wednesday (Oct. 1), one day after Young canceled all upcoming live performances following a stage collapse in New York.

“Carter’s claims are strongly refuted and we will not allow Lola’s reputation and integrity to be called into question – particularly so long after the sessions took place and agreements were put in place,” the statement continued. “Lola has always been authentic in her songwriting process and acknowledges songwriting contributions where appropriate. This dispute has been ongoing for several months and we look forward to the truth being established.”

Billboard U.K. has approached Lang and Sony Music Publishing for further comment. He has not yet responded to the claim.

Carter Lang is a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer who has credits on SZA’s studio albums Ctrl (2017) and SOS (2023), and has also worked with Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Doja Cat, among others.

Lang has credits on three songs on her second album, 2024’s This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway (“Good Books,” “Messy,” “Crush”), and a further four on her recent album I’m Only F-king Myself (“One Thing,” “Walk All Over You,” “Post Sex Clarity,” “Not Like That Anymore”).

Lang is credited as a producer on her U.K. chart-topping hit “Messy” alongside fellow producers Solomonophonic and Manuka Monsune. The track spent four weeks at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, and is the second-most streamed song of 2025 to date.