Rating: 
Summary: Set list worthy of a farewell -- though I hope not
Review: I haven't been paying too much attention to music in general over the last few years, but Rush has always been one of my favorite bands -- only natural, having grown up in Toronto. I've seen them live a few times, but not since the late 1980s, so I was thrilled to see this DVD on the shelves and sat down to watch it with great anticipation. The set list is amazing -- everything from Working Man ("I get home at five o'clock/Take myself out a nice cold beer" -- great stoner line from the old Rush days but thank God Neil joined after the first album!) to By-Tor and the Snowdog to Earthshine. The variety and breadth of time that it covers almost makes you think that this tour was intended as a swansong. Which, thankfully, it was not.The sound mix on the DVD sounds fine to me, despite complaints from others that the CD is terribly mixed. I'm no expert, though. I imagine the weather challenges and lack of a sound check on the day in Rio -- as explained in the really interesting "Boys in Brazil" companion documentary -- had something to do with it. And, despite what others have said, I actually loved to hear the Brazilian crowd -- band member number four -- SINGING along to the melody of YYZ! Geddy, Alex and Neil are better musicians today than they were 20 years ago, and 20 years ago, they were three of the best rock musicians who ever lived. It's amazing to think these guys are 50 years old and still going strong. Rush is the only band that can still have a 10+ minute drum solo -- courtesy of The Professor on the Drumkit, Mr. Neil Peart -- and not turn it into a Spinal Tapian cliche. I just hope Alex plays "Auld Lang Syne" on the next tour. Ha!!
Rating: 
Summary: O.K., could have been better
Review: I know I am going to be assailed by the diehards,but here it goes.I'll start off by saying that Rush's debut was the first album I bought,when I was 10 years old!My friends and bandmates have followed these guys very closely since the late seventies.I tailored my system to play concerts and quite a few of the 30 or so are fantastic.This is not one of them.The setlist is huge and quite satisfying,and the performance,for the mostpart is superb.The sound in general is good.It's the mix that's the problem.At first listen the crowd in Rio is a revelation,unlike anything I had ever witnessed.However repeated viewings with friends and family have me constantly adjusting the controls for excessive crowd noise,bass, and faint vocals.I realize Rush wanted the viewer to experience the concert as was,but some restraint was needed with the levels of crowd noise.It's a huge distraction ,and at times ,painful on the ears.The bass levels from the guitar were excellent,but when Geddy uses the pedals on Tom Sawyer and others,my sub almost exploded.Listen to Geddy on the wonderful easter egg Anthem and remember the powerful vocals that once complimented his,still, unrivalled bass prowess.The rawness has mellowed, and his range has deteriorated ,and I suspect this is why the vocals have been buried in the mix.Geddy on a bad day is still better than most, but this review is for the dvd,and in that regard ,I am left slightly disappointed.Regardless of the problems encountered at the venue,the studio mix is where this dvd fails (sorry Alex).It would be nice to see some footage of late 70's to early 80's,to see a great band in their prime.An honest review from a discerning listener and fan.Now assail away!
Rating:
Summary: Cohesion = Pure Chemistry
Review: This is a musical document for all you non-believers. Rush has been the benchmark for technique for almost 30 years and age hasn't slowed them a bit. The concert disc is a true representation of how well they play live. I've seen them seven times, and on this DVD I feel like I'm right there, either in the huge crowd or running around stage with a backup guitar for Alex. This is how concert videos should be.
The second disc has a documentary about the tour and a lot of interviews with fans; even Sepultura attended the show and gave major props to Rush for being "Three guys on stage whose music sounds like it's being made by 20 people". The docu shows a lot of the humor and camaraderie that the band members have for each other and even watching Neil warm up for the show on a tiny five piece drum kit backstage was mind-numbing. And yes, I had to go through the DVD reviews on Amazon.com to find out how to unlock one of the 'Easter Eggs', a 1975 video of Rush doing Anthem, ironically the code is 2112. The one thing I really liked about the docu was that Geddy said, "Rush is first and foremost about musicianship, we are always trying to improve upon our playing skills" and it shows. They were damn good 30 years ago, and now they are like a fine-tuned piece of Canadian engineering. It would be like if the dynasty line-up for the championship Chicago Bulls had spent 30 years playing together, they are the Michael Jordans of their individual instruments; true chemistry!
Rating:
Summary: Excelent DVD
Review: If you're a big Rush fan like myslef, definetley get this DVD. It has most of Rush's best songs, plus some old favorites like Bytor and the Snow Dog. I must admit, the 5.1 audio isn't too hot, but the 2 channel sound is bangin'. You might say whats the point of having a nice 5.1 home audio system if I can't use it to it's maximum on this DVD. but trust me, the 2 channel is fine. Theres also a drum solo by Niel Peart on here thats definetley badass, so check it out. The DVD might be worth getting just for the solo. It really shows that Peart is the best drummer out there.
Rating:
Summary: What A RUSH!
Review: I am very cautious about buying music dvd's of any band, but seeing this I made my purchase. Not owning many music dvd's but growing up with Rush from their very first album I was VERY impressed & found myself getting more out of it each time I played it.These guys have rocked hard for 30+ years, so for them to pick THEIR favorites as well as the multitudes they've played for, for that many years was simply a pleasure. Watching them play to a Brazilian audience that showed their love for Rush gave it an energy that gave even RUSH a RUSH! Truly a being there concert sound & feeling.Having hundreds of cd's & tapes, this video was a choice selection. I'd be VERY hard pressed to find anything put together as well as this, with the audio & video equiptment put together with it raining during the setting up in such a short timeframe.As far as the bands performance goes, they were in peak stride & enjoying it. You WILL enjoy this!
Rating:
Summary: Simply the BEST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I received this DVD for Christmas from my wife after she made me read the only two negative reviews on this website. She made me think that everyone was bashing this DVD.....
Well, when I opened my present I was kind of confused until she told me about her little scheme to trick me. Heck I was impressed just by the cover, but when I put the disc in and and pressed play I was blown away by the GREAT SOUND and Visual MASTERPIECE I was watching. This is the BEST Rush Live Album I ever heard and better yet it is a DVD with the whole concert there in living color. Just put the dvd in and press play, put on the suround sound and it is just like being at the concert But better, no lines at the bathroom. I have been a Huge Rush fanatic for over 18 years and I always think that everything that the band puts out is the BEST, but they have really out done themselves this time. RUSH in RIO is a MUST HAVE for any Rush Fan. Whoever wrote a negative review about this DVD is NOT a RUSH fan and should go back to the little Boy bands they like. This DVD is Simply the BEST*
Rating: 
Summary: A great band captured live beautifully
Review: I am a long time Rush fan who got to see the band (finally) in 2002. This DVD set is taken from that same (Vapor Trails) tour, with the footage from Rio de Janeiro. On the whole, I loved the DVD. The playing was good, picture quality great and the set list excellent. There are a few issues with the audio, which are explained in the documentary portion as being due to the lack of preparation because of the weather. With this in mind, I think an outstanding job was done for it to sound as good as it does. I noticed a few other reviewers complained about the 5.1 mix. I don't have such a system (I listen in stereo), but I can say that the stereo mix is very good, with a couple of small glitches along the way.
The band covers the high points of their sizable back catalogue and of course some newer tracks off their last album. Highlights for me (in concert as well as the DVD) were: Natural Science, Earthshine, La Villa Strangiato, Freewill, Limelight, YYZ, Bravado, Roll the Bones and Neil Peart's drum solo. The drum solo in particular is awe inspiring, as they are usually rather dull.
Another excellent addition was the documentary. It was surprisingly candid for a group of guys who are usually extremely (and rightly) private. There were some actually rather touching moments when the fans were interviewed. To see their joy at Rush playing in their country for the first time certainly brought a smile to my face. I can relate, they have never played in my home country of Australia and I was only fortunate enough to see them when my job took me to the US. The crowd also merits special mention for their enthusiastic reception of the band and the music. I think it took the members of Rush rather by suprise.
This DVD is highly recommended for all Rush fans, as it really is the best live document of the band. For more casual listeners, it represents a pretty good summary of the band's career in song.
Rating:
Summary: Take off eh!
Review: Santa brought me this DVD for christmas 2003. I stuck it into my computer DVD player today, sat back, and immersed myself into the sounds of RUSH. And amazing sounds they where. Considering that this concert could have been halted because of previous rain or the equipment showing up half a day late, it was amazing how they pulled it off so smoothly. The band once again shows why they are the kings of progressive rock. Song after song are performed flawlessly. And to top it off the fans where amazing. A unsuspected bonus of owning this DVD is the documentary DVD that comes with it. It was not only educating, but hilarious. Those guys have quite the sense of humour, and if you don't like them, then Take off eh!
Rating:
Summary: An Awesome Concert!!
Review: I have been listening to Rush since 1980. My first album was All the World's a Stage. I missed a few years in collecting albums due to devoting all my time to my 6 children, but now that I've gotten back on track and again started adding to my collection, I just had to get the DVD. My husband bought it for me for my 40th birthday. I love this DVD. Even my kids will stop and watch for a little while. It makes me want to go see a concert which I haven't seen since Moving Pictures in Chicago, IL. This was a gift from Heaven for me! This is truly an amazing and very talented band. My son couldn't believe that there is only 3 guys and that they could produce so much sound.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS AS 'RUSHY' AS RUSH GETS!
Review: Until now, I was unsure which Rush album/release was the one to introduce a newcomer to the band. It's difficult to choose because every Rush album is a good album. But having watched the Rush in Rio DVD, I would definitely recommend this as the first purchase. The song selection on the DVD is excellent and spans Rush's entire career thus far (3 decades). All three members of the band put forth an energetic, top-notch performance. The visual images in the backdrop complement the songs very well. And the audience is simply the most incredible any band could hope for. On top of that, the documentary provides a fascinating and rare inside look at the members of the band. Highly recommended!
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