Beyond The Lighted Stage
Rush
I am not a big fan of rock documentaries but I do enjoy good music and good film, and Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage is a rare blend of the two. It has all the ingredients of classic film: a great cast, a compelling story, triumph over adversity, and as fine a soundtrack as you could wish for. Best of it, it is a true story.
Aside from being one of the greatest bands of all time, Rush is THE Canadian band for several generations of fans around the world. If they seem to have been around forever, well there is a good chance that they have been performing and recording for most of your life. (In my case, I first saw Rush at a high school dance MANY years ago.) From their humble beginnings in the late 1960's they became worldwide music legends, as beloved in many countries across the globe as they are here in Canada. What a success story for three guys from Southern Ontario!
Their story is fascinating indeed, and directors Scot McFadyen and and Sam Dunn have put together an astonishingly detailed history of the band that will delight hardcore Rush fans and enthrall even mildly interested viewers. Like all good storytellers, McFadyen and Dunn have an underlying theme: why is it that this band which boasts three of the best instrumentalists in rock and ranks third in most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums (behind only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones!) should be considered to have a sort of "cult following"?
I am extremely grateful that they have asked this question because it has plagued me for years. Not only has Rush attracted legions of the most loyal fans from around the globe, but all three members are among the very best to have ever played their respective instruments, a verdict from both fans and peers. I am not sure that the film actually answers the question, but it certainly points up just how ludicrous it is to need to ask it!
I admit that I have been a fan since high school, but I was amazed and delighted to watch in the telescoped time of the film as the band grew and improved with every new album and tour. This is a documentary that makes you feel that you are present at the crucial turning points in the band's history. One of many examples is the amazing footage of 16-year-old Alex Lifeson at the dining room table with his family, explaining to his folks why he wants to play guitar in a band as his life's work. It is astonishing that someone had a camera on for that historic announcement, and it is the personal stories of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart that give this film such heart. It becomes very clear that their lives and their deep, life-long friendships are what have kept the band intact and thriving for so long. How many other bands have been together since 1974 without a single change in membership?
The obviously deep and comfortable friendships between the three men demonstrate how they have stayed together as a unit. It is also the reason that this documentary has an authenticity that many rock documentaries cannot provide. No one is covering up simmering animosity or aggrandizing themselves to the detriment of the others - quite the opposite most of the time. The interviews have a spontaneity and humour that set this film apart.
The documentary comes in a 2-DVD package with the film on one, and extras on the other. The film is a great combination of personal life and fantastic concert footage. Unlike many "music idols" the members of Rush have managed to remain surprisingly normal people, and they tell their story with wry wit and candour. While the band poke fun at themselves for their various fashion "looks" over time, you will be amazed at how many different musical styles Rush has been able to adapt and master, and what a wonderful sense of fun they imbue the entire adventure with. And what an adventure: from playing local high schools to becoming one of the world's most accomplished musical units.
The DVD extras are as great as the film, and just like the documentary you will be watching these over and over again. It is a sheer joy to watch musicians of this calibre improve year after year and all without the psycho-drama that seems to engulf most other bands. Guitarists, bass players, and drummers will be rewinding to see how this 'power trio' manages to get such a full sound with only three players. Here's a hint: How many times are any of those six hands idle? Or their feet?
But wait! "Power Trio?" Maybe this is a clue to the enigma of Rush: They refuse to define themselves, as a power trio, or heavy metal, or progressive rock, or supergroup, or any other limiting label. The music press seems to need this sort of designation to write about any band, but Rush is not just "any band."
Rush is Rush. Thankfully. They keep their options open to explore their wonderfully fertile musical imaginations. To my ear, it is this integrity that keeps their music from sounding dated. The best music always manages to sound fresh and current.
In short, this film celebrates an amazing 35-year (so far) friendship and collaboration between three of music's finest. If maintaining that level of commitment to music and friendship for that length of time under such trying circumstances seems at all easy, I would suggest (quoting from Neil Peart's book Roadshow): "Try it some time."
What's left to say except "buy this DVD." You will enjoy it time and time again, and if you are like me you can be happy and proud that such nice and normal guys can make some of the best music yet recorded. This DVD is a celebration of them and their music, and it's a party you do not want to miss!
Here are a few places you can buy the DVD set:
Blu-ray at Amazon.ca
