Rush - Rush in Rio

Rating:
Summary: Hold Your Fire
Review: I've done one review, would just like to add a few more comments. This is an EXTRAORDINARY concert documentary for Rush. I haven't missed a show since Hold Your Fire in 1988. For newer fans, Rush has been together, consistantly since 1975. No break ups, reunion tours, farewell tours, etc. Just quality music, from the same trio for almost thirty years. And, as explained by Alex Lifeson on the radio premier of Rush In Rio on Oct 19, Rush plans on recording in the Spring. Maybe not a tour, but new music to look forward to. For those of you criticizing this DVD. Yes..you are entitled to your own opinions. But if you listened to Geddy on disc two, they had some trouble in Europe trying to record other venues. Trouble with the venues themselves and recording just never happened. This DVD you should be THANKFUL for! The show itself was nearly canceled due to their equipment showing up SEVEN hours late. This DVD was literally recorded "on the spot". Some of the recording was "saved". (Read the inserts to the DVD and CD. So for the extreme pressure this was recorded under, it was AWESOME. Rush feels their best shows are obviously done in Europe, and of course, didn't expect the huge turnout in S. America. They make their decisions for their own reasons. They didn't even HAVE to do this recording or tour. After Neils tragedies after Test For Echo, who would blame them for even retiring? They owe the fans NOTHING. WE OWE THEM! Neil comes back stronger than ever, and still tours again, FOR US, definately not for HIMSELF. And does a great job. They didn't have to come back and do Vapor Trails. Be gracious to them and quit criticizing. I hear alot of "you can hear the crowd too much". It's a "LIVE" recording. PLUS, they've NEVER performed for THAT MANY people. You're supposed to HEAR THE CROWD. No one complained about hearing the crowed sing "Closer to the Heart" on Exit...Stage Left. Too many complaints for people who should show a little more gratitude to one of Rock's finest!
And for those of you "thinking" of buying it...GET IT! It's great. And...here are your codes for disc 2.
By-Tor and the Snow Dog cartoon. Hit ENTER when Alex starts talking about it on Disc 2. For "Anthem 1975". Drum Solo, main menu, YYZ, main menu, YYZ, main menue, Drum Solo, main menue, and Anthem comes up as an option. If you're slow....."2112"

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Concert, and Awesome Fans
Review: Kudos to the Brazilian fans for doing whatever they did on that concert. Their energy during the show is brutal, and they were not ANNOYING!!! like somebody wrote. If you have been at a Rush concert, it is basically like that, except that the brazilians showed more entusiasm. I have been to two concerts only, the 1996 Test for Echo Tour at the Ice Palace in Tampa, and the Vapor Trails Tour at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Long Island, NY, and this DVD makes me wanna go to Brazil to see them live again. This performance gave me goosebumps almost all the time. I am a fan of Rush since Exit Stage Left, and I hope we can see more from them. Rush never went to Puerto Rico, and now that I can afford seeing them, I will do whatever it takes to go see them, I have missed a lot for being able to go to only two shows. This DVD is a must for Rush fans.

Rating:
Summary: The person that ONLY RUSH can give goose bumps to!!
Review: I went to this concert in Denver, and at the end of the night, I was so sad, I did not want it to be over. For days after when I would think about it, I would get goosebumps. The talent that these 3 guys have, is just incredible, they truely are the Masters. I feel that I never have to go to another concert ever, because I have seen THE BEST!! When I found out that this tour was going to be available on DVD it was a dream come true. I live overseas now and waited 8 painful days for my DVD to come. It was worth the wait. The crowd was so into the concert, it was electric!! Anyone that is complaining about the crowd noise must be too old. I thought that it added to the excitement and brought back all the memories of that special night in CO. If you are a RUSH fan, this is something you have to get. I can't stop watching it!! And I can't get rid of the goosebumps!!

Rating:
Summary: NEED HELP FINDING 1975 LIVE EASTER EGG
Review: I to agree that the sound has too much crowd in the mix. Exit Stage Left album sounds so amazing because they pretty much got rid of the crowd. Whats up with the 5.1 mix?? I get drop outs and loud spikes though out the show.. Maybe it's my system but all my other dvd's work fine. ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIND EASTER EGG FOR 1975 ANTHAM?? I found the By-tor but I don't know were to find the Vault.. One last thing-- I think Geddy's best sound was during the eighties when he was using Wal basses. However, regarding music, Signals and before will always be the best. A MUST BUY!!! [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Vintage Rush.
Review: This is an amazing DVD.
It captures the Canadian Power Trio at their very best.
The performances of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are jaw dropping and awe-inspiring.
Captured on the bands last date of the Vapor Trails tour, they sound just as fresh, as if they were at the start of tour.
You can feel the energy the crowd gives off in Rio and the band definitely feeds off it.
They play all the classic Rush and throw in some fan and band favorites.
If you saw them on this tour, like I did, you'll want to get this. It captures them at their best.

Rating:
Summary: The Roar of the Crowd
Review: Okay, for starters, my first Rush concert was Permanent Waves, so I know a little about the group. I've seen them six times on four different tours. A lot of die-hard Rush fans scoff at any criticism of the band's releases, which I think is ridiculous. I've been waiting a long time for this release. Unfortunately, it's not the brass ring I was hoping for.

If you can tune out the crowd chant enough to hear the music, it's like being at the concert again. Each of the three members are so very talented, that I just sit there in awe, watching the drumming and fret work, wondering how they ever got to be that good!

I do like the songs they chose for this tour; a mix of old and new. I admit, I'm old school Rush, so I prefer the pre-Signals material. And, with 27 songs to watch, they didn't skimp on material.

The bonus CD is great by the way. Seeing the behind-the-scenes busy work that went on, as well as one-on-one interviews with the guys made the purchase more enjoyable. Alex is a cut-up! He needs to do stand-up in a club. Overall, it's worth buying, but not without disappointment.

My criticism is:

1. They waited until the last show (Rio) to make a film. That to me just doesn't sound very wise. Why? Because for one, this may in fact be the last time they play together. Who knows? We're not getting any younger. You want this video document to be the best it can be. Since it's the same venue for the 27-song set list, that leaves little room for visual variance; you see the same camera angles, frequently in a frantic strobe between different shots. I noticed they kept showing the same individuals in the crowd over and over. While it makes for captive watching initially, after 2 hours you're eyes are tired! From a production standpoint, the producer in my opinion, didn't craft this into a start-to-finish viewing.

2. The crowd, while I'll give them an "11" for enthusiasm, actually deter from the performance after the first song. You can CLEARLY hear the crowd singing and chanting during most of the songs. While that is neat for the opening song, it is annoying to hear for 2 hours, ESPECIALLY for YYZ! It reminded me of the Atlanta Braves' fans tomahawk chop chant. Again, it was one heck of a crowd, and I'd love to have been at that show. But for a DVD, it's way too much. Perhaps they could re-master it without so much crowd noise! The vocals aren't nearly loud enough. I make my critique using a stereo television, so I don't have all the fancy audio stuff that might make this sound better.

Hey, I saw Vapor Trails three times last year at three different venues, and there were noticeable differences at each concert regarding the crowd enthusiasm, sound, and mood. Had they been filming at even a quarter of those sixty-six shows, they would have had a gold mine of material to assemble the greatest compilation ever! But, they didn't. I really believe Rush underestimates the significance of their music on its' fans, and also the significance of how important DVD is, as well as CD. Which is ironic, because they are so very acute at challenging themselves to play better (as Geddy mentions on the DVD). So, I'm kind of miffed at why they didn't take more time in planning this project. Don't get me wrong. I like this DVD. But they really laid it on the line by saving the tape for the last show. That show was rushed (bad pun) because of the weather, logistics and technical glitches. They weren't even able to do a sound check or camera check before the show because of how tight time had become.

Finally, what's with the (goofy) dragon on the cover and in the show? It reminded me of Shrek. The dryers onstage were enough to get me to scratch my head, but the dragon thing seems rather dated, ala Molly Hatchet albumesque. This type of display is par for Rush, though, looking back at all of their previous album covers.

If you're reading this, you're a Rush fan, and so, you will buy it. Just keep in mind though, that it's like being at the concert, where the guy next to you sings ALL of the songs out loud, because he doesn't think Geddy can remember the words. Except in this case, it's 40,000 fans helping Geddy. I'm not blaming the crowd. I'm blaming whoever mixed this. I know I sound like a spoil sport, but I want to hear as well as see these masters play the songs I grew up with and still love.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have for Rush fans.
Review: First, the audio quality. While it's true that this concert DVD doesn't sound as good as quite a few others in my DVD collection, I don't have a problem with it. This is because this recording sounds pretty authentic. Most concert DVDs by other artists have been touched up, sometimes to the point of re-recording certain parts to make it sound absolutely perfect. This DVD on the other hand sounds excellent taken in the context of being the original sound recording, and not touched up or re-recorded. Taken for what it is, a real live recording, it sounds excellent. But if you are not a Rush fan, or don't already know most of these songs, the whole experience is going to sound a bit muddy with lots of echo. Thus, I heartily can recommend this for Rush fans. Knowing the songs beforehand will be extremely helpful in picking up the nuances that most people will probably miss. This is simply an honest representation of a live recording, and in that respect it's excellent, and captures the high-energy without being over-produced. When the concert begins, it is quite exciting.

Video quality is superb. Sharp and clear throughout. Absolutely no fault with the picture. As good or better than any other concert DVD I own. The only problem I have is with the rapid camera-switching. This is not a huge problem, and doesn't happen constantly, but I did notice that the camera never lingered long enough. Just when I was getting comfortable with watching a part, they'd switch cameras, and a few seconds later, switch again. This is jarring to me, and while it was not offensive enough to detract from the experience greatly, I did wish for a more relaxed editing job.

All in all though, as a Rush fan I was definitely not disappointed and feel I got my money's worth. If you're not a Rush fan, I'd recommend getting to know their songs first. But I suspect if you're here reading this, you're likely already a Rush fan, and with that in mind, I'd say "Order this DVD immediately!"

Rating:
Summary: RUSH FANS... JUST IMAGINE...
Review: All three members playing every song note for note. No mess ups, perfect sound quality. Neil plays far far better than "Different Stages" and Geddy Sings better than ever. This is it!

Rating:
Summary: FINALLY A FULL LEGNTH RUSH CONCERT.
Review: I have seen Rush since the Signals Tour and they just seem to get better every time around. To those who say the sound is terrible just do not know what they are talking about. As for the editing it is fine-- you want bad editing look at the Kiss symphony DvD. As for the Vapor Trails Dvd- what a great crowd to film it with- exicted to say the least- fans in Rio waiting years to see their band you can feel their excitement and you can see the band enjoying themselves and feeding off the crowds energy. Rush (the bandmembers) have been thru hell the last 5 years- and let me tell you for them to put out a Concert after all they have been thru- I for one am very greatful. All you nay sayers who dont like thi dvd are not true RUSH FANS- just dont watch it and let the Real fans enjoy the gift this wonderful band has Given us!!! If you are a rush fan you Will love this. God bless Neil, Alex,Geddy, and their families. Thanks for the wonderful DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Audio must be a mistake.
Review: Ok, I've read all the reviews and decided to finally buy it and check it out for myself. My conclusion is that the audio couldn't be any worse. There is absolutely no excuse for it to be this bad. Especially since this was a fairly recent concert. It's almost like there must have been a mistake. It's a shame that you have to drastically alter your system's settings just so you can listen to it. Who knows, if enough fans complain, maybe they'll remix it. If you want to hear what a great concert DVD should sound like, check out King Crimson deja Vrooom or Eyes Wide Open.