50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage” inside PodZeus.
Howard Ungerleider, lighting visionary and 50-year fixture of Rush’s live shows, reveals how he transformed concert lighting into a narrative art form—starting from a New York office boy with a dream. He recounts his unlikely rise from delivering coffee at a talent agency to becoming Rush’s tour manager and lighting architect, including the legendary 'minus 40' cold snap that taught him Canadian winters aren’t for the faint of heart. Now, at 50-something years into his career, Howard is preparing for Rush’s historic comeback tour with a new drummer, Annika Niles, and a revolutionary live lighting approach where he mixes cues in real time—like a musician playing a console. He’s not just lighting a show; he’s choreographing emotion, using custom-built systems and lasers the size of shoeboxes that outpower anything from the 1970s. Despite the emotional weight of Neil Peart’s legacy, Howard insists this isn’t a nostalgia trip—it’s a rejuvenation, driven by joy, collaboration, and a refusal to let negativity dim the light. The tour, he says, is about creating positivity, not preserving the past.
Howard Ungerleider mixes Rush’s lighting live in real time like a musical instrument, not just playing pre-programmed cues.
He’s using lasers the size of shoeboxes that output 10 times more power than the 1970s water-cooled models.
The upcoming 50-something tour is a rejuvenation, not a revival—Annika Niles is learning all the songs from scratch as a new member.
Howard created the first laser show for Blue Oyster Cult and pioneered custom lighting systems that no other band could replicate.
He refuses to let social media negativity affect the show, saying 'positive vibes come back' when you put them into the universe.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Rise of a Lighting Legend
Dave Hamilton introduces Howard Ungerleider, a 50-year veteran of live music lighting, who started as a coffee-runner at a New York talent agency and rose to become Rush’s tour manager and lighting visionary. He recounts his early days in the music industry, including being kicked out of university for a fraternity prank and landing his first job by walking into an office unannounced.
From Office Boy to Tour Manager
Howard shares how he secured his first major deal—booking Fleetwood Mac for a university—by bypassing the contract department and using a 50% deposit, earning him a promotion to agent. He then got fired from the agency for helping bands with lighting design and was sent to Toronto to manage Rush, a band with no money and no drummer.
The First Tour: Cold, Chaos, and Connection
Howard describes his first tour with Rush, including a harrowing drive to Cochran, Ontario, in minus 40 weather. He recounts freezing his hand to a car door and being mocked by the band for being a 'fucking yank,' but also bonding with Neil Peart over jam sessions and forming a brotherhood on the road.
The Birth of a Visual Language
Howard explains how he began designing lighting shows for Rush from the start, using his theater background. He details the evolution from small clubs to massive arenas and how he built custom lighting systems with C-Factor, creating effects no other band could replicate.
The Art of Live Lighting: A Console as an Instrument
“I look at the songs, verse, bridge, chorus, and I put in the structure of the song into the computer, and everything that happens during those transitions... I can augment a series of touch controls and trigger things on cue, in real time, and I can change it up every night.”
“No negativity whatsoever. And Neil Peart is smiling down on this whole thing. And you better believe he's going to be there every night we play. He's there.”
“say, it's a rejuvenation of Rush. And they're playing better than I've heard them in many years. That's awesome. And I could even say better than the last tour, to be honest.”
“first night's in L .A. Yeah, high stakes, man. It wouldn't matter if it was a secondary market. The house is wherever that first night is.”
Host
Guest
howard ungerleider
person
rush
other
neil peart
person
annika niles
person
geddy lee
person
alex lifeson
person
blue oyster cult
other
warbyparker
brand
claude.ai
brand
lauren gold
person
Monitoring the Artists' Monitors: IEM Wisdom from Kevin Glendinning
Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast • 1h 19m • 4/6/2026
The Crowd Is the Star: Piano Bar Secrets for Entertaining Any Room with Cliff & Susan Prowse
Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast • 1h 2m • 4/13/2026
What's Your Band's Definition of Success?
Gig Gab - The Working Musician's Podcast • 1h 1m • 5/18/2026
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “50 Years of Rush: Howard Ungerleider on Lighting the Lighted Stage” inside PodZeus.
Start discovering podcast insights today
Start with a 7-day trial and explore a growing catalog of popular podcasts. No credit card required.
No credit card required • 7-day trial • Cancel anytime