Rating: 
Summary: Emperor strikes back
Review: I have never ever witnessed a better match: A crowd gone wild with music and enthusiasm while seeing their lifetime heroes for the first time, and a band playing beyond the limits of age with the intention of giving their fans what they deserve. This is not only one of the best performances of Rush, but for me also the real come back for the Canadian trio after Neil Peart's break. It is RUSH as usual; plus with a huge tracklist covering almost all of the albums released. And you can see that they are more relaxed than ever, and enjoying themselves more than ever but still perfect performancewise. The wild Brazilian crowd (wildest ever!!!!) is the co-star of this show. They deserve a mighty praise as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Rush...Nothing Else Even Comes Close
Review: I thought the recording was muffled a bit in places, though it's hard to tell if it was due to the musical instruments or the recording gear, as some parts are clearer than others. I thought Geddy's bass sounded almost absent at times, returning strongly during "Leave That Thing Alone." However, even the band tells the story that this was a last minute gig- an afterthought almost. They admitted the gear was bad and the conditions were worse (lots of rain and no sound check before the only show they recorded). So, let's admit that the sound could have been better. It's certainly a LOT better than any of the supposed bootlegs I've heard from a "friend" of mine. I went to the Nissan show and have subsequently heard the bootleg. It was 10 times worse of a recording than RiR, so there. Unfortunately the bootlegger felt it necessary to toggle the windscreen on and off (mostly off), clipping a great deal of the crowd noise from the recording (which seems moronic when the point of recording a concert is to...you know...RECORD THE AUDIENCE AS WELL !!). The Rio fans were energetic, if not fully Rush educated. They seemed to know the lyrics to Tom Sawyer well enough, but fell short most other places, most notably in the "concert halls" section of Spirit of the Radio. However, I've never seen that level of enthusiasm from any North American audience, so they are hands down the most inspired. Realize that only about 3 Rush songs receive radio play down there- everything else is heard on players of one sort or another, and most media is "borrowed" from the original- which is why it took the band so long to realize their popularity down there. I listen to the RiR CD and the Nissan show alternately, choosing certain songs from each. The Nissan audience is a tougher sell, but they knew a lot more of the lyrics, of course, as well as the "hot spots" in the songs and- most noticeably- during Neil's solo. Before the first "intermission" of the solo, the audience can constrain itself no longer and cuts loose with a roar of approval, discounting the ability to hear some of Neil's licks in favor of telling him how much they enjoyed his efforts. One thing about a Neil Peart solo: You won't find anyone in the aisles heading to the bathroom or the beer tent during the solo. The aisles are deserts. After the solo comes the Resist instrumental, and during the lyrical pauses there is increasing enthusiasm from the audience as they begin to "get it." The 2112 medley is a very strong audience favorite, and you will hear (as I did for the first time ever) the audience singing a part of the instrumental in 2112 (as did the Brazilians during YYZ). That was impressive. Again, the windscreen switch clipped a lot of the audience singing, but you can still hear it if you have your treble set properly, especially during the 2112 medley, Limelight, and then again during Spirit of the Radio- where the audience's lyrical participation is clearly its strongest. I am naively hopeful that the boys will record a North American show this next time around, which might just be it for these guys, I'm afraid. I'm not sure how long guys in their 50's can play such intense music, but who knows ? I will tell you that Neil was FAR more flamboyant during the Rio show than he was at Nissan. While I felt cheated a bit at Nissan, I'm EXTREMELY grateful to have HIS show during THE show in Rio on the DVD. One thing I missed from the TFE tour was the dinosaur puppets. The stage hands donned a trio of T-rex puppets and put on a show behind some of the cabinets. The audience was applauding and laughing, and even The Professor cracked a smile from behind the drum kit when they posted the subtitle, "These aren't the only dinosaurs on stage." The audience absolutely roared with approval. In any event, the bottom line is that this show represents the best live performance recording of the greatest concentration of talent in the industry. The enthusiasm of the audience is contagious, and if you're buying a concert DVD/CD, this is half the battle. The recording of the band does fall short in a very few places (especially for Geddy), but 90% of it is wonderful, and when you add to that 90% the unbelievable talent that is producing the sounds, there's no doubt about it. If you're a Rush fan then you don't have a choice any way. This is your family. You MUST comply and buy. If you're not a Rush fan you need this DVD and/or CD set just to document what's possible, since it's highly unPROBABLE you'll ever come across a band like Rush again.
Rating: 
Summary: Rush in rio in a fishbowl
Review: Ok, theres a guy on here with a review that says there are no 20k home theater setups. That 20k worth of audio wont fit in a living room. This is obviously the rantings a person who buys everything at best buy. If you buy high end receivers an speakers at a specialty store, 20 k goes real quick. I spent close to that on my system and i will tell you that this dvd sounds pathetic! It sounds like its coming out of a fishbowl. And no i am not afraid to adjust my eq. If you dont believe me put in Peter Gabriels Secret World dvd and then listen to this one. I dont expect every note to be perfect on a concert dvd. But i waited for what seemed like forever for this dvd. When i put it in my system and played it, i could not believe this thing was produced after 1975. Its hard to beleieve the band would put this thing out. As far as concert dvds go, listen to Gabriel, U2 in boston, even REM roadshow to hear how well these things can be done. 3 out 5 stars only because i love rush.
Rating:
Summary: Praise the Canadian trio
Review: I am a very proud owner of this DVD and the CD Set. When I first got both of these items, I listened to them over and over. These guys, after all these years, can play their music live and still sound nearly identically to the studio version. Every song was nearly that way. Rush is just phenominal in this performance. Great selection of songs. This recording just simply sounds excellent in the car or home. 5.1 or not. Rush picked the perfect place to record as did Iron Maiden. Those Brazilian audiences are awesome. These people really support the music and the artists. If you like Rush a little or a lot, the DVD and/or CD needs to be part of your collection. If you don't like RUSH then you must not appreciate real music, real talent, and lyrics that stimulate the brain.
Rating:
Summary: Damn the rain! Damn this sound quality!
Review: Unfortunately for this DVD, it was the last night of the show and pouring rain all day resulted in some equipment failure which lead the poor sound quality of this recording. No, it's not your system, the sound is just bad. Too bassy and no range whatsoever. Put in another concert DVD or Different Stages to see how a Ruch concert should sound.
What a bad show to have audio difficulties on, however! The band looked as though they were having the show of their lives and the Brazilian Rush fans appear to be some of the more knowledgeable fans out there. Rush proves with this performance that they are still, man-for-man, the world's most talented band. ***** For the performance and the Band
* For the sound quality
Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent mix distracts, but solid performance by Rush
Review: Before pointing out the technical issues I have with the audio, the most important thing that I have to say is this: even in their 50's, Rush still "blows away" nearly every group more than have their age. I'm 23, but I'll still say, "This is how it's done kids." The attention to solid writing with an emphasis on instrumental performance makes for a truly great live act, and Rush is no exception. This is a lost art in many of the younger groups of today as mainstream radio formats and MTV have not permitted sophisticated arrangements and playing along with the required "hooks." And, sorry: groups like Phish, Dave Matthews Band, etc. are great, but not at this level. After getting so much from the "Show of Hands" video from the late-80's, this DVD came as a bit of a dissapointment for one primary reason: the mix. The last band that should suffer from a poor mix is Rush! I don't know how this "slipped through the cracks," but it is not acceptable; it sounds "blurry" and "unclear." First and foremost, the foundation for any show (rock or otherwise) should be a strong vocal and drum mix, with guitar (excluding solos; they should obviously be "on top" of the mix) and bass providing accompaniment. However, this tried-and-true method is quite backwards and I found it distracting for a good hour into the set. In conclusion, the performance itself was 4 stars (this isn't quite a "Show of Hands" though mind you), but the poor mix keeps the set at 3. I simply will not have of not hearing Neil Peart's tom fills buried in the mix; it's just not "rock" and it's most definitely not "Rush."
Rating:
Summary: EPIC CONCERT
Review: I would like to thank the picky music critics out there that found every flaw in a big venue live concert DVD that will likely go down in history as one of the greatest of all time. This Rush DVD is THAT good. I found the sound fantastic on both my Apple computer and also when I switched it to a Toshiba DVD player and a big screen Sony TV. I have NO IDEA what people are talking about when they mention "bad sound". These negative cat calls from "the trees" just set you up for a jaw-dropping experience when you finally buy this DVD. What a crowd! Those Brazilians know their rock. Natural Science and Secret Touch were two of my many favorites here. The way out is the way in...
Rating:
Summary: Some Good Songs
Review: Overall, this is a fairly good concert with some excellent songs and some below average songs. Overall, this concert DVD does not make my Top 10 DVD concert list. Probably best suited to hard core Rush fans.
Rating:
Summary: Sound Investment
Review: I saw Rush on their Power Windows tour in 1986 and haven't been able to get to a show since then. When I saw this video was out I was intrigued. Finally got it and spent all weekend watching it....EXCELLENT!! It was an awesome show despite some potential setbacks...these guys are in top form on their instruments. The only qualm I could make is that the vocals occasionally suffer a little...don't know that Geddy counted on losing his vocal range as he got older when they wrote those first few albums. But that's only apparent on a few songs, and it's a great show despite that. The crowd is very audible on the recording, but hey, isn't that what surround sound is all about...making you feel like you're there...it really does in this case, and you can still hear the band very well. I have a few other concert DVDs, and frankly, I wish the crowds were more audible on them...I paid good cash for my surround speakers...they should earn their place!! Great extras...better, IMO, than my other concert DVDs. The documentary is excellent...gives insight into the guys and what their life is like on tour, and the 1975 Anthem video is cool as well. Highly recommended to any Rush fan!
Rating:
Summary: Not Perfect....But Awesome Nevertheless
Review: Perhaps it's unfair of me to review this DVD after only seeing half of it, but that's how inspiring it is. Besides, how different could the second half be? This DVD certainly has its great and not-so-great characteristics, but in my opinion the great far overshadow the not-so-great. OK, so let's get the not-so-great out of the way. The camera does tend to jump around to much and too quickly. Just as you are getting really into watching Alex's solo, BANG! A shot of the crowd. Then before your mind even begins to graps that, BANG! A shot from behind Neil's drum kit. The song most plagued by this is the opener, Tom Sawyer. Fortunately this tends to slow down a bit after the beginning and I think the camera is not trying to capture so much at once, and you get to watch Geddy, Alex, and Neil do their thing a bit longer. Another common complaint is that the sound is not outstanding, but in my opinion it suffices and you are able to clearly distinguish Geddy's bass and Alex's guitar, and it doesn't mesh together in one big muddy sound. And of course, quite a few people have complained about the noise from the crowd. I truly think the crowd added the the excitement of the DVD. I can think of about 20 instances in the first half where my heart began racing just seeing how into it the crowd was. I have been to my share of Rush shows, and have never seen an audience bouncing so enthusiastically in rhythm to YYZ. Another positive aspect is the performance itself. I think they sound and play as tight as ever. Geddy sounds great vocally, even if he can't hit some of the notes that he could in the late 70's. And then of course there's the song list, which covers a wide range of some of the best gems from their long career. But come on, how many true Rush fans out there could even devise a set list from Rush that could be described as "weak?" But I'll tell you one thing. This DVD shows Rush for the extremely talented band they are, and there is no mistaking why they have been successful for 30 years. It made me long to see them live again, and I am looking forward with more anticipation than I can stand to their 30th Anniversary tour this summer. The bottom line is, if you are a hardcore audiophile that is really concerned with top notch sound and getting the most out of your home theater system, this will probably disappoint you. If you are a Rush fan that loves the feel of a great live show, then this will put many a smile on your face.
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