Annika Niles is a BADASS

Annika Niles is a BADASS SUBSCRIBE 👉 @hawkpodcasts Become a Member:    / @hawkpodcasts   Hawk and his brother were at the LA Forum on June 7, 2026, for Rush's first concert in 11 years — and the night delivered. The legendary venue was the site of the band's final show with Neil Peart on August 1, 2015, making the return both historic and emotional. The conversation that made it happen? Paul McCartney told Geddy Lee that performers perform — and pointed to his own decision to keep playing after losing John Lennon. Rush listened. When the reunion was announced, speculation ran wild about who would take over on drums. Rush went with Anika Nilles, a German drummer who previously played with Jeff Beck and who many Rush fans, including Hawk, had never heard of before. Hawk breaks down what he witnessed: a visibly nervous first set, a 25-minute intermission that seemed to reset everything, and then a second set where Nilles came out loose, free, and absolutely locked in. Geddy's voice was strong, his bass playing was off the rails, and Alex Lifeson was deep in his zone all night. Three hours of Rush. Three people on stage. One hell of a night. #anikaNilles #rush #neilpeart #geddylee #alexlifeson #paulMccartney #jeffbeck #livemusic #drums #rockmusic #laforum #rushband #concertreview #classicrock #prog TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Kellbell's comment and the Rush reunion 1:10 Paul McCartney's role in bringing Rush back 2:30 Who is Anika Nilles 3:45 Watching her drum for Jeff Beck 5:00 First set — the nerves were real 7:15 The intermission that changed everything 9:00 Second set — she let loose and crushed it 11:20 Geddy, Alex, and 44 years of Rush fandom If you have the means and want to support Hawk you can become a Channel Member:    / @hawkpodcasts   SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK Support on Patreon:   / mdg650hawk   Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com Connect on TikTok:   / mdg650hawk7thacct   Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.b... Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com Connect on Facebook:   / hawkpodcasts   Connect on Instagram:   / mdg650hawk   Connect on Twitch:   / mdg650hawk   ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.com    / @hawkpodcasts   Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfy Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuL YouTube:    / @hawkpodcasts   iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdP Pandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB