“Attention all planets of the solar federation.
We have assumed control.
WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL.”
Tonight Palladia aired the premiere of the new Rush documentary – Beyond the Lighted Stage and it’s important for me to recognize this documentary as one of the best musical diaries I’ve seen lately.
There’s probably no other band as polarizing as this threesome from the North, but you can’t ignore their success. After watching the video and the lexicon of bands and musicians (UFO, Kiss, Pantera, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Black Label Society, Death Cab, Dream Theater, Primus, Jack Black and others), you gotta give this band the credit it deserves as they continue to build a soundscape that spans close to 40 years.
In the beginning, I didn’t get it either. Awakening in the eighties to rock and roll, the Canadian power trio were way above my head. The voice, the music and the cult following was hard to absorb. Their music, epic, visionary and constantly evolving is enough to revisit the work of Geddy, Alex and Neil.
In the new documentary, there are great performances that date back to their early days in Canada with late John Rutsey, interviews with bands, promoters, managers and fans along with video performances from Snakes and Arrows.
A master of percussion, a bass/vocal legend and one of the most under-rated guitarists in the history of rock, Rush still inspires and I wish there was a performance closer than Atlanta, but I sure hope to catch another tour.
There are plenty of other Rush fans who helped me along my way and they can probably share more than I – Terry McCoy, Bo Bradley, Steve Thompson and Tad Dickens – thanks for helping me see the light and hear the Spirit of the Radio.
By the way – one cool moment in the documentary is when they give props to Johnson City, TN!
The only left for me now is to open the doors to Limewire, cause I’ve gotta have a dose, but I plan on two books this year too. Neil’s Ghost Rider – Travels Along the Healing Road and Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.
Here’s to Rush – the original geek rock band. Long live the mercurial force.
