Rush doc rocks Tribeca, opens in Toronto tomorrow

They have the most consecutive gold and platinum studio albums of any band other than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Stephen Colbert, Jason Segel and Paul Rudd are among their fanboys. They’ve captured the hearts of the middle class—and remained unabashedly devoted to it in return—in a way few groups have before or after. And yet somehow, sometimes, it seems like Rush just can’t get any respect. (And by respect we mean an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Or love from the critics. Or a decent wardrobe.)

But no matter. The pride of southern Ontario battles backlash with flashbacks in a new doc by the makers of Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, which gets its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs tomorrow night. Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage features rare archival footage of the band in its infancy—a pin-thin, Rapunzel-locked Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson rocking out at a high school gig in Willowdale and discussing music in the earnestly endearing way only teenagers can—as well as a string of tributes by Gene Simmons, Trent Reznor and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Commerford, among others. The trailer, which came out earlier this week, is building on buzz created following the rock-doc’s opening at the Tribeca film fest on April 24; praise has been stacking up from such sources as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Rolling Stone.

So let’s see. Hit cult flick about Anvil? Check. Rush? Check. Now all we need is a behind-the-scenes smash about Triumph and we’ve got ourselves a hat trick.

• TriBeCa Film Festival 2010: ‘Rush’ to see the story of this band [New York Post]
• At Tribeca, surprises, thrills and revelations [The Wall Street Journal]
• Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Trailer Released [Collider]
• Rock nerds unite for the Rush movie trailer! [Entertainment Weekly]
• Out of the box, the history of Rush [Toronto Star]