Rating: 
Summary: It's not the sound, nor the camera.. it's the history
Review: For those who feel this DVD should have been a mastered sound epic, shame on you. If it's the cliniqued sound you wish to hear, buy the studio albums. Or better yet, just simply read the introduction written by Neil, which explains the emotion and rites of the entire disc set.
Every live video or dvd I've seen, the sound hasn't been top notch nor should it be. The ONLY reason a live viewing is given to fans, is so fans can enjoy a live show and see what happens in a given concert. Mainly those who weren't able to make it to the actual event.
If the reasons you wish to buy Rush In Rio is to pick apart sound nodules, then go buy something else. But if you wish to see the band, flow with a truely live experience... empty your wallet for it.
This collection truely shows the history of Rush, and gives an indepth and emotional look into a part of thier otherwise private lives. If you are a TRUE Rush fan, this amazing dvd set will excite you, exhilirate you, and compel you to hit menu and play over and over till your spouse moves out.
Oh and by the way... if you have a basic surround sound from a garage sale, and push "stereo" on the menu? The sound is powerful, especially when you turn UP the volume.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Rush
Review: This DVD Rocks!!! Who wouldn't have given $$$$$ to be there? I can't get over it. The fans were awesome! ...And to catch it all on film,...uh!, videotape,...uh!, DVD!! Yeah!! RUSH ROCKS I'll write a real review next time.
Rating:
Summary: How Lucky We Are !!!!!!
Review: Living in the States, I have been fortunate enough to see the world's greatest band 9 times in concert since 1986. Every time I see them in concert, I lose my mind since their music means so much to me. Of course, in the States, you've got the moron on the cellphone or walking to get a beer while Rush is playing some amazing passage (Why do you spend so much money for a concert and then not watch it?!). Needless to say, we are spoiled here in America getting to see Rush on each and every tour. I could only imagine how I would react after finally seeing Rush in concert after more than 20 years as a fan. This is the crowd of 40,000 that awaited Rush in Rio when they FINALLY made it down there. You had 40,000 losing their fricking minds, which made for a once in a lifetime show, captured for posterity on DVD (THANK YOU!!!!). Watchin the crowd erupt as they opened with "Tom Sawyer" brought tears to my eyes. Many of the songs played made me cry, especially with the crowd's reaction. After watching this DVD at least 10 times, it is still quite moving, illustrating the power that music has over humanity. I love the shots behind Neil's kit of 40,000 Brazilians bouncing along to "YYZ" and "Spirit of Radio." As far as the sound, it sounds JUST like it was seeing "Vapor Trails" in the States. My DVD player is hooked up to my stereo and it sounds great (I'm not technical. My wife set it up!). In short, I can see I will never tire of watching this amazing night again and again (to compare, play this and "A Show of Hands" and you'll see there's no comparison). And wait, there's Disc 2!! The doc is great (love the "soup" montage from "Best in Show"), the Easter Eggs are a trip (love Neil's mullet in "Anthem."). One last word of praise: The song playing at the start and end of the concert, "Trilobita" by Uakti is FANTASTIC. Love the percussion and I've discovered their album, "Mapa" is available here at Amazon! This DVD could not be better and I feel like I would have payed five times the amount for this content, as it is perfection!!!! CIAO!
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Brazil!
Review: WOW.I just smile when I listen to this DVD. I say listen to because I really haven't sat and watched the entire show yet, but have the CD in the car constantly. I watched the documentary , and it's a real treat for RUSH fans, getting the know the guys a little bit, and also checked out the multi-angle songs. just amazing if you want to study 'the professor on the drumkit' but the thng i smile the most about is the brazilain audience. I LOVE YOU PEOPLE! the crowd is NOT louder than geddy, this isn't a monkees album. you can hear the vocals just fine. sure you hear the crowd too, but it's so cool . they sing along with YYZ... awesome. I wish i could get a north american audience to get into it like that. reminds me of queen at wembley stadium during live aid. just awesome. thank you brazil . you rock . and go rubinho.....kick schumachers butt for change , instead of kissing it...but that's another story...:)
Rating:
Summary: Better sound than you may think
Review: For those reviewers complaining about the sound of this DVD, try switching from Dolby 5.1 to Stereo in the audio options. It makes a huge difference.
Rating:
Summary: Sound problems? Listening to a different DVD...
Review: ...than I have been. Even my wife, who hates Rush, was stunned by the amazing clarity of the live recording. Granted, I have some very expensive, very powerful speakers, but even on my tinny little VAIO speakers that came with my new PCV-RS40, it still sounded good. With my high-quality headphones the results were even more impressive. This recording, as reviewers have noted, stands head and shoulders above Rush's previous live outings--most especially "Exit Stage Left" which actually WAS muddied and badly recorded; the guitar buried so far down in the mix you need a shovel to hear it on tracks like "Red Barchetta." But the Sound on "Rush in Rio" was little short of amazing. The bands energy, these are guys in their 50s remember, was also amazing. They brought a verve and excitement to the performance that was definitely missing the last time I saw them live on the "Presto" tour back in 91, I believe it was. Then they seemed tired. The night of this concert they seemed alive, pulsing with energy. If this is their last tour, then they've gone out with a bang that geriatric jokes like Mick Jagger only emphasize the class that Rush has come to demonstrate to an industry all endanger of Stones' type silliness. For the inexplicable complainst about the sound quality I would suggest buying a new DVD player, new speakers or something if you think the sound on this live outing is a problem. Or switching your DVD player to NTSC setting. It is, in my opinion, the best live album I've ever heard and I've heard a lot of of them. I suspect that many fans' reviews at other sites--never Amazon's!--were written by people who were, ah, in elementary school when Rush was releasing their Signal 1980's work (pun intended). For those of us who were born before Reagan took office this live album was a joy to hear. You see, as with many veteran fans, I haven't been thrilled with the recent direction that the band's studio recordings have been taking. "Counterparts" I even sold at a used CD store. Shhhhhhhhh. Don't tell any one, they'll kick me out of the "National Midnight Star" fan club!, since I was so disappointed in it. I bought "Vapor Trails" more to show support for Neal's amazing recovering from such crushing losses. As the father of a daughter and the husband of a wife I adore, I can but begin to imagine his pain and grief. The spectacular performance of the "Trails" songs made me reconsider them, brought things out that lay hidden before. When a live performance tops the studio's, there's something truly amazing here. When I first listened to "Trails" listened I was less than thrilled. Rush's vast influence on bands ranging from Metallica to Primus to Staind to so many other bands its hard to count has come full-circle. We now find them influenced by the very kids whose "talents" (I use the word extremely loosely excepting only Metallica and Primus) they helped to "nurture." Neil's once easily understood, concise, often funny lyrics have disappeared into a maze of indigestible mysticim; but the music rocks so who cares. After a dozen albums of the deepest lyrics in pop music history, he's allowed a little Plantian mumbles. Alex's guitar was amazing. Ranging from crunch of "Temples" to the delicacy of the "O Baterista." He proved once again why he's he's one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. Geddy's voice was almost perfectly consistent--something not found on any other live Rush album, or either of the concerts I've been to (the aforementioned and 1985's ***kicking "Power Windows" Tour). Watching him effortlessly duplicate Lifeson's playing note-for-note left this old bass-man, breathless. He's the reason I learned music and picked up an axe in the first place. Neil's playing was a wonder of dexterity and sheer prowess. There is no one, no matter the genre that can match Geddy and Neil at their instruments. He may have learned from Buddy Rich, but he is the master now. If Rush leaves the Simon Cowell and his clones--marketers of the Brittany, NSYNC, P Diddy industrialized tripe being force-fed us thru the medium of focus grops and audience testing cold, it only shows why we (REAL music fans) love them in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: not that bad
Review: seen the boys twice on the vapor trails tour this year 11 times since 75 this dvd is ok. at best. 22 cameras gave the producers too much footage to take from and it shows. the sound isnt the best but depending on your equipment ( mine is harmon kardon pushing infinity) you can set the delay on your rear speakers and kill the crowd noise.the extras on dvd 2 bring back fond memories of a pretty wild time. anyone who gives this dvd less than 3 stars has no taste in music or no taste in audio equipment. enjoy it !
Rating: 
Summary: WORST SOUNDING DVD OF ALL TIMES
Review: Oh My God!!! They screwed it up. I was at the PORTO ALEGRE concert a few days earlier and was anxiously waiting for this DVD.
They screwed up the mix! It sounds awful, you cannot hear the vocals and the bass is muddy. The cameras have a different quality or calibration which makes the video quality uneven.
But that is only a small concern. The big problem lies in the audio. The sound quality of their latest two studio releases was terrible because of the too damn loud mastering approach. Now someone screwed up this DVD (and apparently the CD release too).
Plus they didn't include an uncompressed LPCM audio track, just lousy MP3-like Dolby Digital, and not even a DTS track!
Someone must call them and tell them. They are probably deaf after so many years of endless touring!!
Rating:
Summary: A great, unexpected treat!
Review: The energy of this concert, and the superb video and sound quality, as well as the expansive playlist, make this one a keeper. Not sure what happened to the other folks' sound, but my surround loves it!
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS: SOUND IS TERRIBLE!!!...CROWD NOISE TOO LOUD!!!
Review: I LOVE Rush!!!...however, the sound on this is so bad I stopped my player at track 5 and am heading back to the store to return the DVD with a request for a refund...do not buy this if you want to hear the band....if you like listening to people yell and scream this is the DVD for you!!!...bottom line...this is an EXTREME DISAPPOINTMENT!!!
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