The beef between Rush and the Runaways goes way back. The 2010 film The Runaways depicted Kristen Stewart — as Joan Jett — urinating on a band’s guitar after they mocked the Runaways’ opening set. Jett later revealed that it was inspired by Rush because they “sat on the side of the stage and laughed at us. That sort of stuff pisses me off.” In a recent interview, the Runaways’ Cherie Currie elaborated on exactly what happened.
The Runaways were opening for Rush in Detroit in February 1977. Here’s what Currie told The Metal Voice:
We had been treated so well by Tom Petty who opened for us, and Cheap Trick who opened for us, but Rush sabotaged our set. We’re at Detroit’s Cobo Hall. It’s a big venue. I saw them and they were throwing pieces of paper just like standard 8×10 paper onto the stage whipping it like you would a pizza. I was in 6-inch platform boots and I had to jump off of Sandy West’s drum riser. I hit one of those pieces of paper and I slid across that stage and there was an orchestra pit with all the photographers. I’ll never forget seeing them reach up with fear that I was going to go over, and somehow I caught myself right at the last minute and did one of those, you know [rock star poses], to one of the photographers. I could have been paralyzed. I’m not exaggerating, I could have been very much injured had I gone off that stage. So that’s why Joan [Jett] and I in particular don’t care much for them because they weren’t protecting us, they were sabotaging us that night and they would be sitting there behind Lita [Ford]’s amp [snickering].
Geddy Lee responded to the initial accusation in 2013, telling Prog, “The Runaways had a ginormous chip on their shoulders. I remember that show. We had trouble with our gear so our soundcheck got delayed and the Runaways never got one. But we were always good to whoever was opening for us. We had no bias against them because they were girls — none of that bullshit. I know they said that we were laughing at them when they played, but quite frankly they were too shitty to listen to. And 40 years later they have a story to tell about it. Who knew?”
Watch the interview with Currie below, with the talk about Rush beginning around the 17:40 mark.
