Rush: Time Stand Still

Rush: Time Stand Still is the perfect sequel and the perfect companion to Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Beyond the Lighted Stage focuses on the formative years of Rush the human beings and Rush the band, and culminates in the band's remarkable comeback after Neil Peart's tragedies and long healing process. Rush in the life stages and phases of youth, maturity, overcoming adversity, successful career, tragedy, and "rise from the ashes and blaze", to quote from a Rush song featured in Time Stand Still. After watching BTLS in a packed movie house in Vancouver I wondered why the hell isn't Rush in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Time Stand Still picks up where BTLS leaves off. They get inducted into the RRHOF, and their second-to-last tour - the Clockwork Angels tour - lives in the limelight for a short time. But mainly, TSS is about Rush approaching the end of a phenomenal career as a band and especially as a touring band, and how much they mean, and have meant, to Rush fans. Rush as a touring band in the life stage of old age. With old age comes reflection - from the Rush members and crew, and from fans. With reflection comes emotion, and the main emotion that flows and often pours from the film is love. There is also sadness, but it's a sweet sadness, a sadness that springs from love. The end is near, but it's been so wonderful and fun. Their final tour - the R40 tour - is selectively followed right up until the final show, where Rush give a very emotional final exit stage left.

BTLS features fan interviews and examines Rushmania superficially, but TSS digs deeper into the lives of Rush fans by showing - not just telling - their stories of what Rush means to them. For me, this is the best part of the film - the vignetting of Rush fans - from Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, to the creator of Rushcon, to a man who was brought back to life and health in part by being inspired by Rush, to the Rush memorabiliac who stresses that he puts family first and Rush second.

You can't not be touched by this documentary, Rush fan or not.

This is a very engrossing documentary. I saw a few years back and thought, "Wouldn't it be great if they could convince Rush to come back for a short residency in Las Vegas?" Alas, the news of Neil's passing changed all that. In watching again last night, there were a few moments of poignant reflection - the banner in one of the crowds reading "R50!" and a crew member's T-shirt saying it as well - that would be now! Also, during Neil's discussion of his drum parts, he describes, "...In 8 years I'll be 71! I can play Charlie Watts drum parts at 71 but not Neil Peart's drum parts!" Sad to know now that we'll never know if he really would be able to. RIP Mr. Peart.

I just watched Rush / Time Stand Still with my 20 yr old son. We are Rush fans, although not as hardcore as some of the fans in the film - some fans have been to well over 100 Rush concerts. What stands out in the doc is the band's dedication to their music and their fans. The band never worried about having singles on the charts or the criticism / dismissal they received from the mainstream music media. They kept slogging away, touring touring touring and perfecting their craft. And now, after 40 years, they are an overnight success. Other musicians are coming forward to talk about how they admire or were inspired by the band, and also how funny and nice Alex, Geddy and Neil were/are in person. This doc will make you laugh at times, but overall there is a sense of looming sadness because you know the final curtain is about to fall. It's like when Wayne Gretzky made his final skate around Madison Square Gardens waving at the fans. It's the end of an era. Thanks guys for all the great music.

An otherwise engaging look at Rush's legacy as a touring band (as well as its die hard fanbase), there's an inescapable sense of finality weighing heavily on "Time Stand Still". You can't knock Neil for wanting to quit the grind; their level of musicianship and stage production just isn't feasible at an advancing age. If anyone's earned that right, it's the hardest working drummer in the business. Still, it's clear Geddy and Alex don't want to lower the curtain and it's a sad decision. These guys are road warriors; it's the end of an era.

But it'd be unfair to just dwell on the end, and the documentary ably walks us through their influence and the level of joy they bring to millions. This is a touching tribute and one hell of a deserved victory lap.

8/10

Cannot watch this film without feeling what an absolute travesty and a shame it is for Neil. He deserved so much more than the hand he was dealt and was taken from us far too soon. I guess all we can do is be thankful for the time he was here and what he gave to the world. The drum world lost a great and I mean an all time great. Just glad to say I was around at the same time. RIP Neil you were and always will be the best 👍🏻 X