Video footage available of Rush members speaking at the Neil Peart documentary premiere

On Wednesday evening, September 16, Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson made an appearance at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of “Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple”, as per Blabbermouth. The 96-minute documentary honors the life and legacy of the legendary Rush drummer, tracing his journey from humble beginnings to international stardom. Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn—the duo behind 2010’s “Beyond The Lighted Stage”—the film pairs reflections from Lee and Lifeson with commentary from prominent peers. A standout feature is new live footage of Rush classics where guest drummers like Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Stewart Copeland (The Police), and Danny Carey (Tool) step in for Peart. Following its festival debut, the documentary screens publicly on September 19 before broadcasting on CBC’s “The Passionate Eye” on September 23.

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. – Geddy Lee

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. – Alex Lifeson

While walking the red carpet, Lifeson spoke with The Canadian Press about how Peart might have viewed a documentary dedicated to his life.

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. – Alex Lifeson

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. – Geddy Lee

He also touched upon Rush’s ongoing “Fifty Something” tour. The run kicked off on June 7 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and features a refreshed lineup: core members Lee and Lifeson are joined on stage by German drummer Anika Nilles (known for her 2022 work with Jeff Beck) and touring keyboardist Loren Gold (The Who, Chicago).

The tour is fine. It’s a different tour. 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. – Alex Lifeson