"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage...Wonderfully Bittersweet

 I am not the biggest RUSH fan out there--that would take all of my time and a lot more money--but I feel like I am part of a specialized class of RUSH fan. I loved their music in the 1970s.

Yes, there are a lot of us out there, but not as many as those who fell in love with RUSH in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, or even 2020s. As a kid I attended several RUSH concerts, the cost of seeing a live show was around ten bucks.

Times have changed.

Yesterday, I came across a documentary of the band from 2010. The documentary chronicled how the band, RUSH was formed, how they began their music careers, how Neil Peart joined them and his influence on the music and their lyrics. I saw photos and video footage I'd never seen before. Plus, it made me appreciate the musicality and artistry of Alex Lifeson. I'd alway been in awe of Lee and Peart, but this film showed me the guitar skills and talent of Lifeson was up there with the other two.

And it was great, it brought back memories, it made me want to listen to every song they ever made.

But it also made me very, very, very very sad.

If you know about the RUSH and the events that happened after 2010, you know why I was sad. Because I knew more of the story, the story not yet having taken place in the film. I know how the story of the band's ending ended.

And I didn't want it to end. I still don't want it to end.

There are bands that disband, shows that end that we wish didn't. But, there can be reunion tours, reunion shows...there's always a chance the band can get back together.

But, not RUSH.

It's over and it hurts.

I guess life in the 2020s is what it's like beyond the lighted stage and we'll just have to get used to it...

Unfortunately.

"Laurel Canyon - A Place In Time"...A Musical Documentary

If you were to ask me what I new about Laurel Canyon, California before this week, I would have said, "Not much." I heard the Manson murders had something to do with the place. That's about it. This week we watched a two-part documentary series about the canyon. It highlighted a specific time in the canyon's history, mid-1960s to mid-1970s, and it focused on music.

There's a lot to learn about the place.

About the time young talented musicians began filling the nooks and crannies of Laurel Canyon is about the time I came into the world. As I grew up, the music of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Love, The Doors, The Eagles, The Monkeys, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and even Frank Zappa were filling the airways (okay, maybe not Zappa...). Their songs played on AM radio station across the country. It was the music that I heard growing up even before I knew what a rock band was. I'm too young to equate certain songs with certain events, but the series made me realize just how important this community in the foothills of L.A. meant to our culture and the music world in general.

The documentary pointed out how that place at that time changed society. It was as important to music as Paris is to fashion, or Maranello is to race cars.

It's a little rough, language-wise. I found it fascinating, but I'm sure they only scratched the surface as to the stories and histories that are found carved into the mountainsides of the famous canyon. If you're a fan of the 1960s/1970s Southern California music scene, you must watch this series. It's on Epix. 

There's so little I knew about the place before I began watching the series. I know a little bit more now.