Why Rush Keep Going Back to This One ’80s Song for Soundcheck

When it comes to soundcheck, Rush have one '80s song they use nearly every night to prepare for the show.

The band recently discussed what makes a good "soundcheck song" and why they keep coming back to one particular track in an interview with Rolling Stone.

How Rush Choose Soundcheck Songs

Rush have been out on the road since June on the Fifty Something Tour. Dates for the North American leg of the tour continue through the end of 2026 before heading to Europe next year.

The tour is Rush's first since 2015 and also the first for new drummer Anika Nilles, replacing the late Neil Peart. He died in 2020.

READ MORE: How Rush Rehearsed 'Mistakes' When Preparing for Tour With New Drummer Anika Nilles

During the interview with Rolling Stone, the band was pressed about why "Subdivisions" is played nearly every night during soundcheck.

"I think 'Subdivisions' is just a good soundcheck song because it's a mic song and it's a keyboard song," Geddy Lee said about the song from Rush's 1982 Signals album. "And you cover a lot of ground with one song like that. So I think that's the main reason we do it every soundcheck."

Guitarist Alex Lifeson described "Subdivisions" as being a seemingly "simple, straightforward song." But that's not necessarily the case when Rush are playing it on stage.

"The drum arrangement is very complex," Lifeson said.

What Listeners 'Don't Hear' in 'Subdivisions'

Rush rehearsed extensively with Nilles behind the drums to prepare for the tour as she continued to learn the band's songs. Throughout the process, Nilles said she started to pick up on little things Rush did that fans likely don't catch on the first few listens.

One of those songs also happens to be "Subdivisions."

WATCH: Rush Interview with Rolling Stone

"It's a lot of counting, a lot of different shifts here and there," Nilles said. "You don't hear it. It sounds so natural and you think it's straightforward. It totally is not."

Both Lee and Lifeson, on the other hand, said their parts in "Subdivisions" are the exact opposite and more straightforward.

"So many of the parts sound the same, but they're not played the same on drums," Lee said. "(Nilles) had to let the song get into her DNA to understand the second time we play that part, for Alex and I, it's the same part and the same notes, but not for her."

Keep reading to see our ranking of every Rush album.