Rush has never been a spontaneous group. We may be spontaneous in our writing, we may be spontaneous as individuals in our day to day lives... certainly I think am and always have been, but I think when it comes to Rush and our presentation of our music it's quite controlled.

Lifeson jammed regularly with The Dexters (The Orbit Room house band from 1994 to 2004). During live Rush performances Lifeson uses a MIDI controller that enables him to use his feet to trigger sounds from digital samplers without taking his hands off his guitar. For the Clockwork Angles tour Gibson built an Alex Lifeson Axcess model in black which became Alex's primary guitar for much of the show.

He also performs backing vocals in live performances and occasionally plays keyboards and bass pedal synthesizers. He has been an integral member of the band ever since.