Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)

An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.

Directors:

Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen

Writers:

Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn

Stars:

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Geddy Lee	...	Himself
Alex Lifeson	...	Himself
Neil Peart	...	Himself
Trent Reznor	...	Himself (as Nine Inch Nails)
Mike Portnoy	...	Himself
Kirk Hammett	...	Himself
Tim Commerford	...	Himself
Sebastian Bach	...	Himself
Jack Black	...	Himself
Gene Simmons	...	Himself
Billy Corgan	...	Himself
Mary Weinrib	...	Herself, Geddy Lee's mom
Melanija Zivojinovich	...	Herself, Alex Lifeson's mom
Ray Danniels	...	Himself, Rush manager
Bernie Finkelstein	...	Himself, True North Records

Storyline

An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.

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Plot Keywords:

rush | progressive rock | toronto ontario | ontario | subject name in title | 

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Taglines:

Beyond the lighted stage

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rush: The Documentary

Filming Locations:

Fisherville, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banger Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins), who was interviewed for this documentary, has admitted to stealing a riff from Rush's "By-Tor & The Snow Dog".

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Quotes

Jack Black: Rush is just one of those bands that has a deep reservoir of rocket sauce. A lot of bands - they've 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.

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Connections

Features Rush: Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984 (1985)

User Reviews

A Mostly Great Rock Doc

Just to get it out of the way, if you have zero interest in Rush, proceed with caution. I am a casual fan and thought this was great. The best thing is it explores the relationships between the band, from the beginning. Also, along with insightful commentary from various musicians, the guys tell their own story. Always maligned by critics, this is an exploration into why they are still so popular. Even better, all three guys, especially Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, are just good people. Neil Peart is a bit more difficult to warm up to, but you'll like him also by the end (actually, way before that). You get concert clips and the aforementioned commentary and what basically comes through is that these guys deserved every bit of fame that came their way. They are all superb musicians, actually all three amongst the best in rock. While Geddy Lee's singing voice takes a bit of getting used to (there is a funny part where various people quote critics on what they thought his voice sounded like), by the end you realize that its also part of what makes the band unique. That over 30 years on they can still sell out tours is amazing, and it really is about time they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The only reason I didn't give it a ten was that if you have little knowledge of the band you may feel its a bit much to go through the records one by one. However, as I am a casual fan only (to date, I have "Permanent Waves" and the two disc compilation "Chronicles" only), this documentary makes me want to go out and buy more Rush music. If that isn't an endorsement for this film, then there just isn't one. Congratulations on their well earned success and bravo to this career spanning, insightful and thoroughly entertaining documentary.