Product Details

• Actors: Neil Peart
• Directors: Greg McKean
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hudson Music
• DVD Release Date: October 12, 2011
• Run Time: 500 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005BCADAY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,151 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #21 in Movies & TV > DVD > Music Videos & Concerts
  • #30 in Movies & TV > DVD > Special Interests

Editorial Reviews

Neil Peart - Taking Center Stage was filmed in various locations over the course of a year. In it, Neil Peart takes you on a behind-the-scenes look at Rush's 2010-11 Time Machine tour. This includes rare and exclusive footage of Neil's personal pre-tour rehearsals and backstage events at a Rush concert (including a visit to the soundcheck, and an unprecedented backstage interview as Neil warms up for the show). Neil also presents a detailed look at every single song in the tour's set list. Each song features analysis and demonstrations by Neil, which are coupled with a detailed PDF eBook containing transcription of his parts. At the end of each song discussion, the viewer is transported onstage to a Rush concert to see the actual live performance of the song from the perspective of the drum cameras only. 6 hours, 40 minutes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, mind-bending and profound., November 9, 2011

By 

Greg "Saganite" (Brooklyn Park, Mongolia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Neil Peart Taking Center Stage: Lifetime of Live Performances (DVD)

Peart is nothing short of a genius, and to see this iconic MASTER sit and talk eloquently in perfect paragraph after perfect paragraph about HOW MUCH HE HAS LEFT TO LEARN is...well. It's Zen. It's sitting at the feet of the master.

Now, I've banged around on drums for about 35 years and I can do some passable percussion in really banal situations--had a great time last fall playing udu at a folk sing-a-long. I have a small electronic trap set I take my frustrations out on many evenings. But I don't have the slightest chance of being able to play anything like Peart, ever, no matter how hard I might be able to try.

So why do I find this--what amounts to an instructional video--so mesmerizing? The same thing that makes me watch Adrian Peterson play even when the Vikings are having a terrible season. Just watching someone at the top of his game, knowing that I belong to the same species as the one that produced this...wonder...is uplifting. Even if I can never do what these other people do, I can thrill vicariously at the accomplishment.

And Peart is so well-read and well-spoken that little bits of philosophy often slip out even as he holds forth on the vagaries of rock drumming. Among my favorites on this set, he said that if you make a mistake, make it again. Presumably to make it appear more intentional.

To underline my implied point: Even if you're not a drummer, just a fan of drumming, or of rock music, or hell, just excellence...this is a collection worth owning. And if there's a young person in your life, someone you wish to encourage in any endeavor, she could do a lot worse than to have the humble and hard-working Neil Peart as a role model.

I know Peart is uncomfortable being lionized, and I don't want to put him up too high on a pedestal. That sort of thing is never good for the idol, and not much good for the idolater, either. But I think it's good for humans to have examples of what we can become, given the proper virtues of patience, hard work, inquisitiveness, creativity, humility, and wisdom. When we see such virtues personified, as they too seldom seem to be, I don't think it goes far amiss for those of us who notice to call it out.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great on so many levels, October 20, 2011

By 

Auckland1 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Neil Peart Taking Center Stage: Lifetime of Live Performances (DVD)

Much like the man himself, this DVD is great on many levels. Neil discusses everything around his music from the recent Time Machine Tour. Great Sound. Great footage from the tour. At 500 minutes, it's more than even this die-hard fan can handle in a single sitting, but it's just so good. After all the previous books and videos, I was wondering what else he could possibly cover and how could it be interesting. As usual, Neil is fascinating and goes beyond the mortal realm. Any Rush fan, even the non-drummers will be well entertained by this. Did I mention the sound?

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey . . . It's Peart. Nuff said, October 7, 2011

By 

Syrinx (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Neil Peart Taking Center Stage: Lifetime of Live Performances (DVD)

Since everyone commenting on this is OBVIOUSLY a Rush and Peart fan, there's really nothing I can add that already hasn't been said.

I do have one little "tidbit" for you. Today is October 7th. Amazon shows it's not going to be released until October 18th. I got lucky and found it already on sale at Guitar Center. If you have a Guitar Center ([...]) nearby you can get your copy early. It's awesome, of course.

I'm not sure why they got an early realase of the DVD other than they're a major musical equipment retailer.

Thought you'd want to know.