Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage Review

by Skip Daly

On June 10, 2010, I attended a one-night-only theater showing of the new Rush film/dvd documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage.  Not surprisingly, the theater was packed with fellow Rush fans (some with hapless wives or girlfriends in tow), and we collectively enjoyed this long overdue, heartfelt tribute to “our band”.

Aside from doing a very good job of presenting Rush’s long history, there was something particularly touching about this film which I couldn’t quite put my finger on at first.  The very next night, as I sat bantering with an old friend that I’ve known since 1^st grade (at our 25 year elementary school reunion), it struck me — this was what I had seen on the screen the previous night.  This documentary film is not simply a story about music, but also a tale of enduring, genuine friendship (complete with accompanying banter).

Sam Dunn and Scott Mcfadyen deserve major credit for getting this story right.  The early part of the film very effectively features commentary by the band members’ parents (and even early childhood film footage), setting the stage perfectly for the journey to follow.  As the story unfolds, we hear testimonials from other famous musicians and icons – from Kirk Hammett and Trent Reznor to Billy Corgan and even Jack Black – as the film attempts to get to the heart of what has made Rush tick so consistently well for so many years.

Check Out GI’s Interview With Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson

The die-hard fans among us are treated to some true rarities along the way: footage/audio of Neil Peart playing with JR Flood in his pre-Rush days, an audio clip from a John Rutsey interview, never-before-seen 1974 live footage from a Laura Secord High School gig featuring John Rutsey on drums (Two full songs are featured on the bonus disc), and a brief clip of some pro-shot color 1977 live footage (where is the rest of this show?!).

But,  this film is definitely about more than just the music, and therein lies its broader appeal beyond the devoted Rush fan base.  It is, to use a much-overused phrase, a ‘human interest’ story, and it is telling that the filmmakers ‘tested’ early versions of the film on people who disliked the band – until they got to a point where these people really enjoyed the movie.  This film is about a bond of brotherhood forged by quietly marching along to their own beat for decades – often in the face of blistering criticisms and overwhelming pressures to conform for the sake of “commercial success”.

Nowhere is this true bond thrown into sharper perspective than in the section which addresses Neil Peart’s double tragedies (Peart lost his daughter to a car crash in 1997 and then his first wife to cancer in 1998).  Over ten years later, the band members still seem on the very verge of choking up as they recount this dark period in Peart’s life, serving to further humanize these legendary musicians, and the film’s tale of struggling against adversity then reaches its zenith in Rush’s triumphant June, 2002 return to the stage.

Check Out the Rush Collection at Amazon.com

The celebrity testimonials are right on the mark too.  As Billy Corgan states: ”I like to think that, at the end of the day, all the labels fall away because the body of work is significant.”

Matt Stone is more direct: “Even if you hated Rush in the 70s or 80s, you have to give it up for them.  You just have to.  Otherwise, you’re just being an old dickhead.”

But, Trent Reznor perhaps provides the best summary: “They’re just such a unique and weird concoction, and I get the sense that they’re on a righteous path.  There’s something there that’s really pure and sincere.”

This last sentiment is reinforced in the very candid “dinner with Rush” bonus feature included in the DVD package (an extended version of the scene under the closing credits).  Aside from being nothing short of hysterical, and one of the highlights of the film, there is a moment in there where the guys seriously discuss embarking on a new project.  Geddy Lee explains that he feels a simple creative urge to write some music, and suggests “why don’t we write some new songs?”

Hopefully, we’ll get another 40 years of music from these guys, and I’ll be first in line for the sequel to this excellent film, Beyond the Lighted Stage, that is a “must see” Rush event.