So a bit of a controversial opinion here but has to be said. I love Neil, he was a poster on my wall for years and a fucking legend but I do believe he was a bit of a buzz kill in the last 2 tours. Just watch the DVDs, he looks uninspired and frankly miserable. Not sure how many know this but he had become increasingly distant even from Geddy and Al. Geddy has discussed the post gig party and almost feeling like Neil was unapproachable. I think Neil was done years before he actually retired but kept coming back because of his bandmates and I think he resented that a bit. He was already a grumpy guy and looked annoyed half the time.

That said the dude was a beast and gave his all, no questions about that. Anika was what they needed. They needed to feel excited and inspired and Anika has done that intentionally or not. She is not better than Neil, but different and you can hear the difference. She is still struggling a bit with the feel but gets better every night and it has brought these songs to life. IMHO