Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Music but average sound mixing
Review: Rush at their best - great performances and a great set list.I'm not sure what the previous reviewer is talking about - the sound mixing is not that great. Simply, the vocal track needs to be louder and clearer, as it is in a live show. When Geddy Lee is speaking in between some songs, his voice is almost inaudible. Rush even admit on the DVD that the Rio setup was hastily done and there was no time for a sound check. By contrast, U2 at Slane Castle is an example of an excellent concert 5.1 sound mix.
Rating: 
Summary: It's the soup!
Review: Rush's DVD has been a long time coming, but I for one believe it was worth the wait. I own several DVD's from such bands as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dream Theater, and AC/DC, and I think that this one here is probably my favorite of them all. This performance is just magical, and while I'm certain that watching this on TV is but a billionth of the real live experience, it certainly delivers. The setlist is fantastic, including all of the classics, and a few obscure tracks as well. The band delivers with passion and precision that makes it difficult to believe that they're in their 50's. Alex Lifeson has a great stage presence, with his goofy antics and endless arsenal of guitars. Neil Peart is just amazing (although a bit stiff; looks a bit like the terminator playing drums, but it works for him), especially his solo (certainly one of the best drum soloists in rock). And Geddy just rocks as well. His vocals are top notch, as is his drumming and keyboard work. It's difficult to pick high points, because there's hardly an off moment here. The aforementioned drum solo is certainly worth a mention, as well as the extended "La Villa Strangiato" (disappointed that they cut out the acoustic intro, though). A lot of the newer material, like "Driven", "Earthshine", and "Roll the Bones", is fantastic as well. If I absolutely had to pick a favorite moment, I'd go with the acoustic version of "Resist". This version really is stunning, much moreso than the original. Such an emotional performance, and Geddy's vocals here on among the best I've ever heard from him. He's not a bad guitarist, either. The documentary is fantastic as well. Very interesting, as well as entertaining. It really gives you an insight as to how cool and down to earth these guys are, and how much they genuinely appreciate their fan support. Plus, they're just total goofballs, which is always good. ;) This is a spectacular DVD. If you love Rush, buy this now.
Rating:
Summary: Rush - Bow to Alex, Geddy and Neil
Review: OK, the reason I decided to write this review is that s_mccrea from Henderson, NV actually had the chutzpah to mention Clay Aiken in a review of a Rush CD. So, let me deal with that first. Mr./Ms.McCrea: NEVER COMPARE RUSH TO CLAY AIKEN AGAIN. . . . . .OK, now that I have that taken care of. . . This is classic Rush. Turn your subwoofer down 1-3 notches, turn it up loud, and enjoy. I am 40. The first RUSH show I saw was the Grace Under Pressure tour, and I've seen them 3 times since. I will see them again 6/13 in Kansas City on their 30th anniversary tour. I can only dream that they'll play such an awesome set list. Regarding the sound, I don't know what to say. When I'm seeing them live, they always sound perfect. When I listen to live albums or this video, it's not perfect, but it's still incredibly intricate rock and roll played to the 9's. It's not "bad," it's just "live." It's different. Deal with it. The folks that want live concerts to sound like the records don't get it. I have the Boston Acoustics/Kenwood "unity" DVD system. With a very minor manipulation of the speakers, it sounds AWESOME. A little less bass. Play with the rear speakers, as the majority of the crowd noise is located there. If you want to hear them, keep them level or increase. If you want to minimize, then decrease. It's not complicated or difficult (as long as you know how to use your $20,000 remote control. . .heh heh heh). Rush is an AWESOME band. A live experience like no other. This DVD is the epitome (to date) of a very significant career. I only hope they record this summer's tour. I'll buy that and enjoy it, too. Regarding the crowd in this show: unbelievable. Their familiarity with the music, especially given the paucity of available RUSH music in Brazil: amazing. Their energy as they rush the stage when they are let in: palpable. The fact that they know every lyric and every note in the instrumentals: quite frankly, moving. The girls: not like the girls at the Kansas City and Chicago shows I've seen, that's for darn sure! If you've never heard RUSH live: you need this DVD If you've seen them once, ten times, or follow them like a "Dead-head:" you need this DVD. Deal with the issues!
Rating:
Summary: great dvd...brings back fun memories
Review: I think this is a great dvd. I was happy with the selection of songs they played....although was hoping for Red Barchetta.
La Villa Strangiato was my favorite performance...especially Alex Lifeson's weird lyrical solo.
If you like Rush....I would recommend this dvd. note to self : Dont become an audiophile. I think these reviewers are so caught up in their silly little audiophile world, they can't even enjoy a good show
Rating:
Summary: A live performance was never so realistically registered
Review: There's been a lot of discussion about the sound quality of this DVD: some peole say it's not good and others are saying it is just great, and I'd like to give my personal contribution.I live in Porto Alegre (in southern Brazil) where Rush played three days before they recorded this DVD in Rio (there are some scenes from the show I was in on the documentary of disc 2) and I may confess that the sound of this DVD is incredibly identical to the one I had the pleasure to listen live. It's amazingly heavy and totally crude. It's great and I sotrongly believe that this was achieved because they avoided overdubing the original sound. In fact there are some songs like "Secret Touch" that you can even notice some misadjustments on the efects they use (observe Alex backing vocals). There are also some deep low tunes at the beginnng of the drum solo wich I had to fight a little with a graphical equalizer to not to saturate my DTS equipment. One can clearly observe that the efforts were to make this DVD sounds as close as possible to the live performance, and that includes the "imperfections" of a live environment. Most of the DVDs that are recorded live, are so much altered (overdubbed) that, most of the time, you loose the "live feeling" completely. However, with this DVD, Rush is proposing to break up with this terrible tradition, and that's why I believe that "Rush in Rio" is the best live performance video ever made. By the way: I have shown this DVD to several people and everybody stays shocked when they see it for the first time (Including my sister who always hated Rush). BELIEVE ME, IT'S A MUST HAVE.
Rating: 
Summary: No Anamorphic Video
Review: Despite what the packaging says, the video is not presented in anamorphic widescreen. Its standard widescreen, which means less than optimal resolution for digital widescreen TV owners. I wouldn't mind if it weren't labeled as being 16x9 anamorphic, which it is not. The audience is a little too loud for my liking as well. More vocals and instruments, less crowd noise would have been better, IMO.
Rating:
Summary: Expected better audio quality
Review: I don't need to constantly hear the din of the crowd to know it's a live show. It sounds like someone had the microphones turned towards the audience instead of the band. Aside from that it's a good show with a lot of good classic Rush songs.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent disc! Buy it.
Review: Very entertaining. Captures Rush very well. Sound QUALITY is Excellent. MIX is not but live shows are hard to get perfect. Geddy's Vocals ARE a little back or down in the mix but that is the only flaw I can find. Second disc is fun, great to see the guys being themselves. Multi angle was fun.
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.
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