A Scattershot tribute to Hard Rock and its die-hard fans

Long live rock: celebrate chaos is a headbanging, crowd surfing, aerial guitar tribute to diehard fans, musicians and the hard rock music genre lifestyle. The documentary, shot before the pandemic, initially focuses on fans of hard rock festival concerts. Then changes perspective from the point of view of artists and promoters. Long Live Rock is packed with interviews from members of great bands like Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains and Guns N ‘Roses. Their perspectives are interesting, especially with regard to addiction and mental health. But the film’s loose narrative and lack of structure relegates its approach as superficial.

Long live rock opens with a montage of headlines and articles on the fall of rock. R&B, rap and hip hop have supplanted rock and roll in popular culture. Director Jonathan McHugh does not agree with this notion. It features several from the Midwest who kicked off the Rock on the Range Fan Festival in Columbus, Ohio. They’re nurses, doctors, prison guards, ordinary middle-class Americans pulling off their suburban chains to surf and get dirty in the mosh pit. Hard rock and heavy metal are more than music. It is a way of life that has given them purpose, companionship, and a necessary outlet to break free.

Top-level musicians revel in the insane energy of performing in front of thousands of loud festival fans. Rob Zombie, my favorite interview, pokes fun at the size of the crowd of various comics and other similar activities. Rock superstars see this number of people on tour every day. There is a kinship relationship that fuels everyone from the stage to the crowd. These are the outcasts who have found a special place together. Every show is different, but the adulation and intensity never diminishes.

Long live rock explores the darkness of hard rock culture. Drug addiction, alcoholism and depression are everywhere and almost a right of passage. Jonathan McHugh has some raw admissions from fans and rockers about their destructive behavior. Guns N ‘Roses bassist Duff McKagan speaks candidly of almost dying after his “pancreas exploded” from drugs and alcohol. A recent parolee was stabbed in the chest for a heroin deal gone awry. From the streets to the limelight, the thrills of rock and roll are fleeting. The desire to maintain this level of adrenaline leads to tragic falls. The suicides of Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) and the fatal overdose of Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) are discussed by their friends and groupmates.

Long live rock go south biting more than he can chew. The film has multiple tangents which become scattered. There are segments on women in rock. Families who live rock-centric lives, including a woman who rides in crowds in her wheelchair. Ice-T, Tom Morello and other black hard rockers are interviewed at length about breed in the industry. Then you have additional commentary from psychologists and therapists who treat people with rock-inspired ailments. Too much is happening in the short eighty minutes. Jonathan McHugh was to stick to festivals as the main theme. The bond between performers and fans is fascinating, but gets lost as the film skips.

Long live rock got me pumped again for gigs. I have been going to hard rock concerts since college. The last year under lockdown has been a complete disappointment. The film stokes the fandom fire and reminds us of what was missing. I’m sure everyone pictured is snacking again. Long live rock: celebrate chaos is a production of Abramorama and Crowd Surf Films. It will have a limited theatrical release on March 12 and stream via premium video on demand.

Topics: Streaming

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