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ROCKUMENTARY

Today's film was the documentary

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)

The title is the title of one of their songs and is the nature of this wonderful documentary.

Rush has failed to get wild critical acclaim or achieve enshrinements in the various museums and such but they have had a solid continuous career together for 20 albums, many platinum, and still draw enormous stadium crowds.

Most importantly of all, they are genuinely nice guys who love one another in a really wonderful way.

The focus is on relationship. I am not a fan nor particularly like heavy metal but their metal is not as heavy as many others.

There is a lot of concert footage but it is all germane. There is a good look at the record business, the music business and life on the road.

The guys are quite engaging and have given the film makers a lot of access. The talking heads are very good and an impressive lineup of other musicians for whom the Rush guys are heroes. Big stars who do have the critical acclaim.

I am not making these guys out to be sad failures in the rock business. They are more than happy with their lot. They believe that by dodging superstardom they have saved their friendship and, perhaps, their lives if not just the life of the band.

I would gladly watch this again. It is quite emotional and very uplifting. These are very good people.

A 4 out of Netflix5. Maybe a 5. Time will tell.

Labels: films