Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)
A reflection on the music documentary about Canadian band Rush.
A thumbnail on Netflix conveys a message to the viewer. It attempts to encapsulate the genre and perhaps tone of a film or documentary with one image. Upon seeing the above thumbnail on Netflix, my first assumption was that this was indeed a music documentary - check. My second assumption was this was a 3-piece band - check. My third assumption was that this band Rush must be in the same musical world as Whitesnake and other ‘big-haired’ bands of the eighties - wrong. Having watched Beyond the Lighted Stage and subsequently listened to their album Moving Pictures, I was left with two fundamental questions: Where the hell had Rush been all my life? and, Where the bloody hell had Rush been all my life?
Now I know this might sound a little hyperbolic but I will attempt to explain why these questions are warranted. Firstly, they are highly respected within the music industry itself. Some of the talking heads in this movie include: Jack Black, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Danny Carey from Tool, Kirk Hammett from Metallica, Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters, and Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins to name but a few. Their critical reception in the music media was often quite lukewarm at best and at its worst, condescending. However the band did have their champions - namely their hardcore fans. Secondly, there is something intangible and ineffable in the music of Rush which seems to resonate with me on a profound level. How this escaped my ear-drums for over 40 years on the planet is baffling.
Full disclosure number 1 - I was not convinced of their brilliance directly after watching the documentary. The sight of some of their music videos from the 80’s with borderline mullets and tacky graphics did not do much to inspire me. Geddy Lee’s voice was so high-pitched it bordered on the shrill. What did captivate me initially however was the bond that these three men had over four decades of making music culminating in a 19 studio album discography alongside several classic live albums and concert DVDs. It was also their complete dedication and faithfulness to their music that really struck me. They managed to eek out a space in the music industry in which they could have creative control of their output with no record company interference. More about that later.
The opening of the film sees three middle aged men backstage limbering up on their respective instruments before a gig. Neil Peart warms up his drums, effortlessly creating a cocophany of rhythm and control. Geddy Lee’s fingers dance around the fret of his bass like giddy worms as he sings the chorus to Limelight. Alex Lifeson strums a few chords on his acoustic guitar staring off into space. While twirling one of his drumsticks beside Lifeson, Peart drops one on the ground near Lifeson’s foot. Lifeson comically pretends to be mortally injured by Peart’s drumstick yelping in screams of agony. Lifeson is clearly the joker of the group. It then cuts to grainy black and white footage of a very early Rush gig from 1976 with the heavy opening riff of the song Bastille Day. In one edit, the breadth and longevity of Rush’s long existence has been conveyed.
How does a band last this long? Four decades of making music together is an achievement only reached by a handful of bands. The best explanation for such longevity was summed up in the inimitable words of Jack Black:
Rush is just one those bands that has a deep reservoir of rocket sauce. A lot of bands, they only got so much in the bottle, they use it up sometimes in one song. These guys were the real deal. Their bottle was so big and so filled to the brim, they were shaking it literally for decades…and still there was sauce coming out.
One has to go back to their familial origins in Toronto in the 50s and 60s to truly get a sense of where their work ethic and world views were beginning to crystallise. Geddy Lee’s parents were both holocaust survivors who emigrated to Toronto and worked their way up to a middle-class life raising Geddy in the suburbs. Alex Lifeson’s parents also emigrated to Toronto from Yugoslavia after the war. Lifeson’s father had spent time in prison camps. Their story begins when Geddy and Alex meet in Fisherville High School and instantly bond over goofiness rather than music. They ultimately did discover that both had an obsession with all sorts of music but particularly hard rock. Their slightly older neighbour John Rutsey played drums and the three formed a group playing high school dances. Their prodigious musical talent at the tender age of 16 caught the attention of fellow teenager Ray Daniels who was already making inroads to becoming a record label owner. This is the genesis of Rush.
Needless to say, Rutsey was eventually replaced by Neil Peart as drummer after the first album due to health concerns which prevented him from touring. Plus, Lifeson and Lee’s musical direction was veering more towards the progressive where Rutsey was firmly rooted in hard rock. This is why Peart was the perfect musical choice at the right time. An absolute beast of a drummer as well as being highly well read, he would eventually become the main lyricist for the band spanning their full 19 album catalogue. His personality complimented the dynamic of the other two also, he loved the funny bone of Lifeson and could easily relate to Geddy’s obsessiveness with his instrument.
Their first 2 albums entitled Rush (1974) and Fly by Night (1975) were well received and with their new drummer and lyricist, their trajectory was very much moving forward. With the release of their third and oft-maligned third album Caress of Steel (1975), their star began to dim significantly. Handfuls of people were turning up to see them play live and the record company had questions. The album did not land well. People just did not get it. Their manager Ray Daniels was hauled over the coals in the offices of the record company and agreed that the band would write a more commercial album next. If not, they would be cut loose. Rush being Rush were never going to capitulate artistically. So they doubled down and made the seminal concept album 2112 (1976). The album was a massive success and essentially sealed the door on any further meddling from the record company execs. They now had free artistic reign and went on to make 15 more studio albums together until their retirement with the R40 tour in 2016.
Full disclosure number 2: I am now a die-hard Rush fan for life. All the best documentaries achieve the same thing - they spark an interest in a topic or person you might have never heard about previously. In some cases, this interest can become something more. In the case of my own experience with watching Beyond the Lighted Stage, this is most definitely true. As I mentioned previously, I was not initially sold on the band. After listening to their classic album Moving Pictures (1980) however, I was beginning my journey down the long Rush highway. I am currently 4 albums away from completing their 19 album discography on vinyl. The last 4 are very expensive, but I will get there someday.
Rush are a fascinating mix of musical elements. Their virtuosity and musical vision is what I think draws most fans initially. It’s easy to sit and listen to a 19 minute piece like Cygnus X-1: Book 2 from the album Hemispheres, and get so utterly lost in the sonic textures and transitions that you forget where you are. Instrumentals like La Villa Strangiato and Xanadu exemplify their complete mastery over their respective instruments. It would not be outlandish to say that Geddy Lee and Neil Peart are possibly the leading players of bass and drums respectively. Lifeson is a hugely underrated guitar player who changes time signatures as easily as the other two and is pivotal in creating the often conceptual musical landscapes for which Rush is renowned.
The second aspect of the band that appeals is their humanity. As people, they are just good guys. They respect their audience and never pander to anyone. Rush’s fanbase are notoriously loyal to the band and this is reciprocated in the amount of time that Lifeson and Lee would spend with fans before and after concerts. Peart was a very private man and it was accepted that he would not take part in these activities. It was not out of selfishness however it was that he was not comfortable with hero worship, particularly when he was the hero.
On the special features of the documentary, there is a 15 minute recording of the three members of Rush eating a meal together in a restaurant and drinking quite a bit of red wine. What is abundantly clear from watching this is the love that they had for each other as friends, human beings and band members. Peart’s increasingly reddening face is spent mostly laughing at Lifeson and his juvenile and hilarious quips and comments. Geddy is well versed in goading Lifeson and egging him on and this resulted in a beautiful dynamic which was probably one of the factors to which their longevity can be attributed. It is all the more poignant knowing that Neil Peart passed away in January of 2020 from cancer. In some ways I was glad I only got into Rush after the fact as it would have been hard to bear.
https://youtu.be/OjbvZJaxcbw?si=4ZcPb31ZqasSoIie
So I was in the sad situation of being a Rush fan knowing I would never get to see them play live. Rush were known as one of the best live acts on the planet. Their dedication to the craft of live performance meant they would often play 3 hour sets, beginning with a suite of songs from their extensive back catalogue in the first half, followed by their current album in full in the second half. Watch the Clockwork Angels Tour live DVD for a perfect illustration of their majesty while playing to their fans. Unfortunately, I would have to come to terms with the fact that Rush were officially done - never to grace a stage again, particularly with Neil Peart gone.
March 25th, 2022. News of the tragic death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins filled the airwaves and TV stations. Dave Grohl decides to organise 2 huge charity concerts in tribute to his friend in LA and London. Both concerts attracted a wide ranging set of legends in the music industry. Two of these legends were Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. I managed to procure 2 tickets for the London gig in the second round release after an initial sell out. Saturday, September 2nd in Wembley Stadium, the opening chords to Working Man blare out over the huge PA system. They land on my very welcoming ear-drums. Dave Grohl plays drums. Legendary drummer Omar Hakim takes over on drums for the frenzied instrumental YYZ. I shed tears. I knew I would. Taylor Hawkins, being a huge fan of Rush and friend of Neil Peart, may well have had a rye smile on his face in heaven looking down, knowing he had managed to get Rush together one last time, making my year. Oh yeah, and some lad called Paul McCartney played a few surprise songs at the very end.
Rush are now a part of my life. I have spent many hours watching their live concerts, listening to their albums and simply talking about them with my wife, who incidentally suggested we watch Beyond the Lighted Stage. Many Rush fans dislike a certain period of the Rush discography, usually the ‘synth’ albums in the 80s - Signals (1982), (Grace Under Pressure (1984) and Power Windows (1985). Another section of the fanbase likes all of Rush’s material, myself included. Regardless of the time period and style of music they would always be themselves. It was synth put through a Rush filter, or in the case of the album Counterparts (1993), grunge or 90s rock through a Rush filter.
If you decide to at least listen to Rush after reading this, you may well detest them. You may well think to yourself, ‘Why the hell is Neil wasting his time listening to them?’ This is the beauty of Rush - you either get it or you don’t. My word count is now 2112.
Fab Darlin!!! A great rendition and summary of an epic musical journey and band