Concert News

Rock icons Rush add Houston to extended 50th anniversary tour

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee are bringing their Fifty Something tour to Houston.

Photo by Richard Sibbald

The legendary rock band Rush has added Houston to its ongoing Fifty Something 50th anniversary celebration tour with a stop at Toyota Center on October 1, 2026. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Cincinnati are three other most recent additions to the tour, which began in June 2025.

It's the first time that the band has toured since their 2015 R40 Live Tour, and also the first time that co-founders Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have gone on the road since the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020.

Initially, the band announced a small, seven-city tour with Fort Worth as its only Texas stop. Since then, it has grown to dates across America, Canada, South America, and Europe.

“When we initially booked this tour we didn’t know how well we would hold up to the rigours of the road — so we played it safe with lots of days off to recover — but life is nothing if not surprising and we’re doing fine and having a blast — so why not try to hit a few more of the cities that have always treated us so well,” Lee and Lifeson said in a statement.

The band will play two sets each night, with each show featuring a distinct selection of songs. Rush will build each night’s setlist from a catalogue of 35 songs, including their greatest hits and fan favorites.

The band is fudging their 50th anniversary slightly, as it released its debut album in 1974. But the tour gives Rush an excuse to celebrate its long history with its fans, as well as honoring the life of Peart.

“It’s been over 10 years since Alex and I have performed the music of Rush alongside our fallen bandmate and friend Neil," Lee said when the band announced the first tour dates in 2025. "Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we f---ing miss it, and that it’s time for a celebration of 50-something years of Rush music."

For the tour, Lee and Lifeson will be accompanied by German drummer, composer, and producer Anika Nilles, who has performed as Jeff Beck’s drummer for over 60 shows and has released four solo albums.

There will also be a presale for Citi cardmembers from Tuesday, September 1 at 10 am until Thursday, September 3 at 10 pm.

The general onsale begins on Friday, September 4 at 10 am at rush.com.

Rush Tour Dates

September 2, 2026 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
September 4, 2026 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
September 12, 2026 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
September 14, 2026 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
September 17, 2026 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Arena
September 19, 2026 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Arena
September 23, 2026 - San Antonio, TX - Frost Bank Center
September 25, 2026 - San Antonio, TX - Frost Bank Center
October 1, 2026 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
October 5, 2026 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
October 7, 2026 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
October 10, 2026 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
October 12, 2026 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
October 15, 2026 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
October 17, 2026 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
October 21, 2026 - St Louis, MO - Enterprise Center
October 23, 2026 - Cincinnati, OH - Heritage Bank Center
October 25, 2026 - Washington D.C. - Capital One Arena
October 27, 2026 - Washington D.C. - Capital One Arena
October 30, 2026 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
November 1, 2026 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
November 5, 2026 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Live
November 7, 2026 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Live
November 9, 2026 - Tampa, FL - Benchmark International Arena
November 11, 2026 - Tampa, FL - Benchmark International Arena
November 15, 2026 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
November 20, 2026 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
November 22, 2026 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
November 25, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
November 27, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
December 1, 2026 - Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena
December 3, 2026 - Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena
December 10, 2026 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
December 12, 2026 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
December 15, 2026 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
December 17, 2026 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
January 15, 2027 - Buenos Aires, AR - Movistar Arena
January 17, 2027 - Santiago, CL - Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida
January 19, 2027 - Santiago, CL - Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida
January 22, 2027 - Curitiba, BR - Arena da Baixada
January 24, 2027 - São Paulo, BR - Allianz Parque
January 26, 2027 - São Paulo, BR - Allianz Parque
January 30, 2027 - Rio de Janeiro, BR - Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos (Engenhão)
February 1, 2027 - Belo Horizonte, BR - Estádio Mineirão
February 4, 2027 - Brasília, BR - Arena BRB Mané Garrincha
February 19, 2027 - Paris, FR - Plenitude Arena
February 21, 2027 - Berlin, DE - Uber Arena
February 23, 2027 - Amsterdam, NL - Ziggo Dome
February 25, 2027 - Munich, DE - Olympiahalle
February 28, 2027 - Cologne, DE - LANXESS Arena
March 2, 2027 - Hamburg, DE - Barclays Arena
March 4, 2027 - Stuttgart, DE - Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
March 8, 2027 - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro
March 10, 2027 - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro
March 12, 2027 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
March 14, 2027 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
March 16, 2027 - London, UK - O2 Arena
March 18, 2027 - London, UK - O2 Arena
March 21, 2027 - London, UK - O2 Arena
March 27, 2027 - Kraków, PL - TAURON Arena Kraków
March 30, 2027 - Milan, IT - Unipol Dome
April 1, 2027 - Basel, CH - St. Jakobshalle Basel
April 4, 2027 - Copenhagen, DK - Royal Arena
April 6, 2027 - Oslo, NO - Unity Arena
April 8, 2027 - Stockholm, SE - Avicii Arena
April 10, 2027 - Helsinki, FI - Veikkaus Arena

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep welcomes spooky season with PG-scary new movie

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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