Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson spoke briefly from the stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto on Wednesday night before the world premiere of “Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple” at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The screening, at the VISA Screening Room, was attended by both Rush members along with Chad Smith, current Rush drummer Anika Nilles and directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn.
Lee introduced the film to the audience.
“Tonight you’re gonna see a very interesting look at this guy that you think you know, and you’re gonna see the depth of his musical legacy, and you’re gonna learn about friendship and how it runs both ways between the people he loved in the drum community and how they loved him back, which is really cool, and the wider circle of friends and what impact he had on their lives. So I’m very grateful that this moment has arrived where this stuff can be shared. So, thank you for coming,” he said.
Lifeson followed: “I’ll just echo what Ged said. He encapsulated everything about the film, what an amazing person [Neil] was. There’s a whole side of him that a lot of you don’t really know. He was very, very funny. He was a sweet friend, and he was extremely loyal. And hopefully you’ll get to see a little more of that. And it’s certainly reflected in Chad and the other guys that played with us.”
Asked on the red carpet by The Canadian Press how Peart would have reacted to a film about himself, Lifeson said: “Well, I think it would be a little embarrassing for him. He didn’t like to have a lot of attention. But at the same time, I think he would be very respectful and feel very warm about all the reaction and comments made by all his friends.”
Lee added: “He was one third of this band. We worked together, we sweated together, we failed together, we triumphed together. So, he brought a huge amount of intelligence, talent, a good nature and humor to our band.”
The film pairs Lee and Lifeson with four drummers, who take turns behind the kit for live performances of Rush material filmed for the documentary: Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Danny Carey of Tool, and Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree and King Crimson, whose name has been left out of much of the coverage.
McFadyen and Dunn previously made “Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage” in 2010, along with “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” and “Iron Maiden: Flight 666“. The film is a CBC production made by their Toronto company Banger Films with Elevation Pictures, and Republic Pictures holds distribution rights outside Canada.
Most listings put the running time at 96 minutes, though Billboard has reported a 106-minute cut.
Peart died on January 7, 2020 in Santa Monica, after three years with glioblastoma. He was 67. The timing left almost no opportunity for any public tribute, a point both men make in the film: the band had not performed since 2015 and the world shut down weeks later.
Lee has also drawn a line between Peart‘s decision to stop and his own reasons for going back out.
“Coming back at this age, your fear is that you can’t do it anymore, and you’re going to be a compromised version of yourself, and I don’t want that,” he said earlier. “That’s why Neil retired. He retired because he refused to show anything but his very best in public. And so that’s on your mind, and that’s driving you.”
Lifeson was asked about the “Fifty Something” tour, which opened on June 7 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles — the same building where Peart played his final show with the band on August 1, 2015.
“The tour is fine. It’s a different tour,” he said. “We have a couple of moments of the show where we have a tribute for [Neil]. We think about him all the time. Geddy speaks about him throughout the whole show, so he’s always with us. But it’s a different thing now. We’re moving forward and we have a different arrangement. And it’s all in celebration of his life and everything that he’s given us.”
The touring lineup is Lee, Lifeson, German drummer Nilles, who played with Jeff Beck in 2022, and keyboard player Loren Gold, previously with The Who and Chicago.
A second TIFF screening takes place on September 19, with the festival running to September 20. The broadcast premiere is on September 23 at 8pm, 8.30 in Newfoundland, on CBC and CBC Gem as part of “The Passionate Eye“.
