Rating: 
Summary: In-freakin-credible!
Review: Great audio, great video, and one heckuva package!As much as I love to see and hear Big Al rip through mountains of classic Rush tunes, it was the behind-the-scenes footage that made this disc a five-star extravaganza. The footage The Boyz before show ritual, Geddy polishing his wooden leg, Neil polishing is Beamer, and Alex polishing off a tin of lasgna was worth the price of the disc. This DVD is a must for all music lovers, fans and detractors alike. Make sure you find the Easter Eggs of the Centrifrugal tour video. "Crucible in the Ocean" rocked my world! Get this and the audio CD for a great Rush package deal. You won't fear the UPS guy when this package comes!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely not gonna be draggin' (groan)...
Review: I'll keep it short--saw them on same tour here in Columbus, OH and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen--from the mischevious dragon on thru the swingin' drum solo (you will actually LOVE the drum solo!) to the washing machines (don't ask!)--this DVD will ROCK!
Rating:
Summary: We have assumed control!
Review: Jumpin' Jiminy! The Rio shows make Ames,Iowa look like a wide spot in the road chock full o' hicks! Ged, Neil and Alex had it screwed on from the first pixel--and the easter Egg containing Carrie Nuttall's backstage videography makes it even better--for example, who knew that Alex had Steak 'n Shake flown in for the whole band and crew? Five stars and two thumbs!
Rating: 
Summary: Great band, great music, bad sound...
Review: which, ultimately, is a great pity. I was full of anticipation for this DVD, having all the previous Rush releases, on CD, vinyl and video.
I had hoped for sound quality similar to that of the Grace Under Pressure tour video, but it was not to be.
Before I go any further, I don't have expensive DVD playing equipment, just a Sony DVD player through a surround sound TV system. I can also play DVDs on my home PC (no shock there).
I can play (and appreciate) Joe Satriani's Live in San Francisco DVD, Hell Freezes Over and many others, which sound absolutely clear, so I don't think there's a problem with me being unable to operate my equipment.
The fact is, this DVD's sound is not as good as I'd like it to be. Geddy Lee's vocals are difficult to distinguish. If you didn't know the words, you'd be hard pressed to understand them. It's just my opinion, but the crowd is just too high up in the mix. This was possibly the result of the problems they'd had prior to the event wih the storms. Ultimately, this has made the DVD unlistenable, for me. I have listened to a total of 5 songs and can't force myself to listen any further. But, this is just my opinion. If you like a lot of crowd noise in the mix, then knock yourself out.
Rating: 
Summary: its OK Alex we don`t like guitar solos anymore
Review: The Truth is Rush are no longer very much to speak of. Lifeson has never been a brilliant guitarist and probably the weakest link in the chain (compare his playing to romeo or petruci and poor alex sounds well ? less than awake ) Geddy`s a brilliant bass player but his voice isn`t worth writing home about , Peart is the guy he is pretty much the reason why Rush become so strong in the first place, his drum work once was cutting edge slick and a moving force that the band name would suggest. Pearts still a good drummer but the likes portnoy (dreamtheater) or zondor(fates warning) and bozzio(zappa, various magna carta`s, vai, others) would blow him out the water. I wish this band would basicaly give up this DVD and Vapor Trials convince me that they are no longer who they claim to be but rather a shadow of their former glory. No Band around today are as powerful musicaly or even in song writing as rush were up untill signals , but sadly when peart penned the song loosing it, Rush lost it! The DVD is best described as just ok sound is pretty average the crowd response is worth seeing apart from that I`ll stick with my exit stage left Video, and keep this to remind me why I`ll probably leave next rush release of anything well alone , for me I don`t accept lesser from rush and pretend that the old days are still current, I refuse to conform or be outcast even through loyalty false praise is only feeding the big machine and saying its OK Alex we don`t like guitar solos anymore um next ? :-(
Rating:
Summary: Rush Rock Rio
Review: This was the reason I bought a DVD player (well, that and the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings films, but I digress). Rush In Rio is an excellent snapshot of Canada's most (in)famous rock outfit. They sound fresher than they have in years and seem to be having more fun than ever as well; a lot of that probably stems from the fact that this trio -- and drummer Neil Peart in particular -- managed to survive a traumatic experience in the life of Peart, coming through that storm with a renewed sense of self and energy to fuel it all.
Musically, the band sound as good as ever. Vocally, bassist Geddy Lee has a tough time on some of the older material (notorious for its high-end heavy metal wails) but still manages to make it all work. Peart is simply amazing on drums and guitarist Alex Lifeson prances and laughs (and rants!) his way through an intense set of the band's best -- Tom Sawyer, New World Man, Limelight, 2112, Closer To the Heart ... they are all here.
The bonus disc is good for fans, featuring a nice documentary. Also (hidden and difficult to find -- ARGH!) fun to see is the 1975 video for Anthem.
All in all, this disc is a worthy representation of one of the top live bands ever.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes I truly wonder what some are hearing and seeing...
Review: It pains me to read some of the reviews of Rush In Rio. I ordered my copy and received it a few days ago and honestly I found it to be an incredible show full of great energy, excellent musicianship, and the sound was awesome. I didn't expect a studio cd of the selections played, I expected all the beauty and qualities of a live show. The dynamics are there along with excellent channel seperation for what it is a live show with a crazy crowd. What pains me most is the reviewers who complain of the sound but did they forget how to read? The liner notes written by Peart explain to all why the minor problems existed and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how no soundchecks can somewhat hinder the production. To me all involved did a great job and again I love the final product as so many here have also stated. I must also state that I "was" a huge Rush fan for many years but lost touch with them and my interest wained. I think life sort of took over and I am happily into them again. To see them performing and sounding as good as I remember only solidifies what level these three musicians are at. They really are the best of the best. I look forward to enjoying there music both live and otherwise for many years.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 Guys Still Kicking Butt
Review: I have to confess. As a teenager, I pretty much ignored Rush all through the 70s. During their early years I was listening to the likes of Yes, ELP, King Crimson and the early jazz/fusion sounds of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Return To Forever. Then in the latter part of the 70s, something happened to this little Canadian hard rock band. They got smart and started picking-up on these artists. Neil was adding more inventive use of other percussion instruments (ala Carl Palmer and Bill Bruford), Alex was getting more into improvising with scales (ala John McLaughlin) and Geddy was starting to pick up on some of Chris Squire's and Stanley Clarke's bass tricks. So by the time Permanent Waves came out, I was really starting to take notice of these guys. I finally went and saw them on their landmark Moving Pictures tour. And while I thought that musically they were ripping-off the styles of the previously said artists, I couldn't help but be overwelmed by how amazing these 3 guys were on stage.
Ok, now on to this DVD. To me, Rush is a REAL live band. And this DVD does the job. After a 5 year hiatus, the 3 stooges embarked on an exhaustive tour ending in Rio De Janero, Brazil filmed here for this disc. This is the first time they've ever toured Brazil. And you can tell it the way the audience reacts here. God bless the Brazilians, they really enjoy concerts today the way us spoiled Americans did at Woodstock and Isle of Wight. Every hand is clapping and every arm is waving in unison in a sea of teenage rockers. For almost 3 hours the boys perform material from almost every one of their 17 albums and with gusto. As a drummer myself, I have to say the highlight for me is Neil's 8 min solo Ol Bastera. The man just doesn't stop getting more and more inventive. As for Alex and Geddy, 2 of the most underrated guitarist and bassist around. And whoa! An acoustic duet with the two? Are we getting a hint of a future Rush Unledded performance here? That would certainly be interesting!
Now for the gripes. Yes, the emphases on audience noise is a bit annoying. No big deal though, if want to opt out on the "you are there" experience, just go from the 5.1 to the 2.0 stereo mode, there's less audience noise in stereo and it still sounds great. Especially on Neil's drums. His snare and bass drum are dead center while his toms go from high on the right speaker to the low end on the left speaker. As for the extras on disc 2, the one hour documentary is interesting and pretty informative. And there's some great multiangle features on 3 of the intrumentals. AND not to mention a vintage video from '75 of them doing Anthem with shoulder-length hair and mustaches.
Parting thoughts: While not the most original artist of the 70s and 80s, Rush still maintained a durability with their counterparts like Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult and ZZ Top all along the way and maybe more so. You can't dance to their music. You can't even have dinner to it. And if you can find way to have sex to it, then you got some real issues. But you can still have a RUSH watching their music. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Taken as a whole, still a great Rush concert experience
Review: Regarding gangarunners review, I can understand his disappointment with the sound on one hand, but on the other , anybody whose ever been to a large venue outdoor concert can attest, hearing it first hand , the sound can often times be much worse than what's heard here, it can be downright awful in fact. I'm wondering if gangarunner is basing his disappointment with the sound to comparisons with much smaller, indoor DVD shows, where the very show itself was pre-planned soundwise specifically for DVD release. In spite of the sound issues, this was a very entertaining DVD!...What a great set list,..older and newer songs and the crowd is going nuts! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this, and it's one of the very few concert DVD's that gets repeated play by me. The bands performance is great , as usual, and the shots of the crowds going wild just adds to the energy and excitement of the show...you feel like your there. A great introduction to a Rush concert for any newbies. Maybe their next DVD project will be a much smaller , indoor venue, where all the sound issues and pre-production can be finely tweaked for those wanting a more hi-fi experience ala The Eagles Hell Freezes Over or Fleetwood Mac's The Dance.
Rating:
Summary: poor sound?
Review: SO the vocals are a little lost sometimes...One thing that isnt is the drums, you hear every little thing Neil Peart does, combine that with the visual,(exceptional camera and editing work) and you know why Mr. Peart is revered as much as he is. Its worth the price alone to see him perform.
Anyone who has been involved with bands, or sound production on any level knows the never ending quest for perfection. It is never attained....there may be a few minor flaws here..but it captures the moment and the feel of this particular live performance.
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