Rating: 
Summary: FANTASTIC SHOW - GET IT!
Review: The best Rush performance I have seen and I've seen them 7 times going back to the Permanent Waves tour (1980). The audio does seem a litte shaky in the beginning (hence the 4 of 5 stars)but it gets better as the show goes on; they didn't have time for a sound check because of all the rain the afternoon of the show. The crowd couldn't have been more into the show. Don't pay too much attention to all the neagative reviews; just buy it!And in case you didn't already know, A Show Of Hands was released on DVD in Brazil and copies can be found on e-bay for much less than Amazon is charging for the VHS copy.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing some promised features, but still good
Review: No DTS, no anamorphic widescreen.... but.... Still a kick-butt concert! Lots of close-ups on Geddy's bass playing and Neil's drumming. Well shot and with crisp colors most of the time. 55-minute documentary is a keeper, but watch it before the concert if you can. Turns out Geddy and Alex are fans of Christopher Guest's film "Best In Show"! If you know that movie and have watched this new Rush documentary you will know what I mean. In the documentary, Geddy explains why Neil chose to avoid the press meetings on this tour. Makes perfect sense if you know about the tragedies Neil endured a few years ago. Favorite parts of this concert video -- Neil's drum solo (with a very cool final part), "La Villa Strangiato" and the dash of humor and clever musicianship that it features, the b-t-s documentary, and the crowd "singing along" to "YYZ", an instrumental track. Sonically I don't think this disc is as great as it could have been, but the performance is top-notch and well-filmed. Now if they could just release the "Grace Under Pressure" concert on DVD someday...
Rating:
Summary: Closest thing to actually being at the Vapor Trails show
Review: I saw the premiere at the Commerce, MI theatre. Yes, the audio sounded terrible at that theatre. I am happy to say that the audio on the DVD is much, much better. Not nearly as bad as some of the reviews would lead one to think. Remember, this is a LIVE recording. It should sound like live Rush, which it did. Personally, I think the audio mix is excellent, and reminds me entirely of being at the show. This is no mistake. Rush has some of the best sound engineers anywhere, and they are all perfectionists when it comes to audio quality. If you want studio sound, buy the studio release of all the songs. In my opinion, they did everything right this time.
-They included the entire concert
-They did not edit the drum solo (or any other solo for that matter)
-They did not change the order of the set list from the concert
-They included a second disk with a documentary and bonus features (worth the $20 by itself)
-They provided Dolby 5.1 and 2-channel audio
-The performance of each band member was exemplary
-The price is very fair I just can't find anything to complain about. Being a drummer, I find it amazing that Neil Peart (and the rest of them) can perform flawlessly for 3.5 hours and maintain the power, projection and accuracy that they had during the first song. This is nothing short of amazing. Furthermore, this ain't Hooty and Blowfish. These songs are incredibly technical, and Neil really plays hard. Bravo.
Rating:
Summary: Riodiculous
Review: First of all, to all of you whiny people complaining about the mix - You have to listen to more than just the first few tracks of the DVD. I saw Rush perform this show in the Boston Area and then too, the first 10% of the show had some bad mix as far as Geddy's vocals and the bass. On the DVD, the first 4 tracks up until Earthshine and YYZ are the only ones with bad mix. When you get to YYZ (an instrumental song) you can hear the mix has improved greatly, and when the vocals come back on the next track (The pass) everything is righted. You have to understand that Rush is returning to their hard rock basics, and stop whining because they are no longer the over-trebled 80s keyboard band that you probably love. Us rush fans love and appreciate ALL Rush and what Rush continuously does for us (releasing great records). They have reinvented themselves and I personally love the new sound AND the mix. The DVD is one of the best music DVDs I have ever seen - If you don't know about Rush, this is the new Rush albumn to buy. If you already are a Rush fan to any degree, this will be the best part of your collection. The setlist is awesome, the songs are performed with precision and emotion. The drums and bass sound perfect on it, and if at any point you feel the mix is unsatisfying, keep listening. 9/10 times Rush's excellent crew will fix any problem. I have a feeling that these people posting bad reviews are only listening to the first Tom Sawyer track - In which the crowd is singing so loud that Geddy is drowned out. We've heard Tom Sawyer enough times.. Listen to Natural Science and THEN come back and complain about this DVD. 5 Stars
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Rush
Review: As much as I love this band, I have to say that I was disappointed with the product of both the DVD and the CD. The video is decent, but the audio is poor, even more so when you compare it to the standards usually set by Rush. At times, Geddy's vocals are buried, at other times the guitars sound muted. The liner notes state that the band was using "borrowed" equipment, and it definately shows in this performance. Maybe a purchase for even the diehards, but otherwise I'd stay away. It should also be noted that it does not come DTS or anamorphic, even though the box states that it does.
Rating:
Summary: "R&R" served the Rush objective
Review: In spite of sound non-perfect, the central objetive was showed this DVD : "to show all energy and how the public listened the live music".
Whats band used 22 cameras in captation????? Except U2 and Rolling Stones, any band used 22 cameras in his shows!!!!
Every band/artist use fewer 22 cameras(8 or 12 cameras).
Video quality : perfect with mult-angles Make sound quality high(laboratorie technnical)is EASY.
Join many people with energy high is DIFFICULT:
65,000(Sao Paulo); 45,000 (Rio de Janeiro) and 25,000 (Porto Alegre)
I WAS THERE !!!! I SAW THE BEST SHOW OF RUSH !!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best Video Yet Of Rush
Review: Finally a Rush video worthy of discussion. True Rush fans know that we rarely see or hear these guys outside of performing their music. With the one hour documentary of their tour in Brazil we get a rare glimpse into how they act in real life. Alex is literally nuts, Geddy plays off Alexes antics and Neil is just a regular guy not some strange brainiac. The DVD is great. I saw this concert in Boston twice and the DVD does it justice. Minor issues are the flashy camera jerking. I would have like to have seen a little more of the band playing instruments than flashing around. A couple of flashes were clearly out of sync with the music. Probably just a way to fill gaps. I'm probably the only one who would notice or another musician. The crowd noise could have been subdued a bit too. All in all a great value and absolutely a collectors item for any Rush fan. If the band reads this review please know that this fan want's to see more new Rush music. Over the years Rush has been the only band that I've anxiously waited for music from. I understand the situation over the last 5 years but please continue to make music. Pathetic fans like me count on it to survive!
Rating: 
Summary: What happened?
Review: I have loved Rush for over 20 years. I have seen them 3 times in concert and the Vapor Trails tour was the best by far. I was really looking forward this DVD, however, I am somewhat disappointed. Lets first start with the false advertising - it was supposed to be DTS 5.1 and widescreen anamorphic video - its not. Why the bait and switch guys? The video quality is still very good. The performance is very tight and excellent. The crowd goes completely nuts throughout. The packaging is sweet. No shortage of material and the song list is strong. However, as stated in other reviews, the sound is weak: too much bass, not enough oomph with vocals, the drums are muffled and distant and it is tough to hear Peart's drum fills clearly, and too much crowd noise. This is surprising given the band's attention to detail and technology. Where is Terry Brown when we needed him? It sounds almost like an audience recording and not a soundboard production. The DVD is still the best they have released and it is a bargain for $20 - but it is far from perfect. I too have a great sound system and the poor sound has nothing to do with the equipment. They do need to re-mix this if possible and re-release it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Show!
Review: I will admit, I am a Rush fan from WAY back (1980) and have seen them in concert at least 20 times. I am also a fan of concerts on DVD. This DVD package rates in my top 5 as one of the best shows on DVD of all time. There is just no comparison. 3 hours of footage, a bonus interview disk, and special hidden features all add up to one soup-erior package. Now, to the complaints about the audio...There are 2 separate mixes, a Dolby Surround 5.1 mix and a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix (stereo). I personally like the Dolby Digital 2.0 mix. It is powerful and clear. The 5.1 mix intentionally added some crowd to the rear channels for a "being there" kind of feel. Not bad at all, just more "live". If you want to make the most of the 5.1 mix, adjust the rear channels of your system to taste. That being said, RUN OUT AND GET THIS DVD! If you are a Rush fan or even a fan of progressive rock, this package is a no-brainer.
Rating:
Summary: Awful Audio Mix!
Review: I have been an avid RUSH fan since 1980 when Permanent Waves was released and have been to a dozen or so concerts since then therefore I had to have this DVD. I won't get into me being a drummer and how Neil Peart is GOD to me. That's another story in itself. Hehe. However, we've all come to know the quality this band is committed to producing for their fans and I was extremely surprised and very disappointed when I got it home and popped the DVD into my player. The audio mix is awful! Not only can you hardly hear Geddy's vocals but what makes it even worse is the crowd noise that's been imbedded onto the soundtrack. And no, it's not my equipment because I happen to have tried it on another system as well as my PC. I even had to turn down the level on my rear surrounds because the crowd noise is so overwhelming it was starting to drown out the music at certain times. This could have very well been the icing on the cake that all RUSH fans have been waiting for but instead it turned out to be a true let down. I'm very surprised the band would allow this DVD to be released with such an awful audio mix. The band must have had to give the final approval beforehand no? I can only think that this was approved and released by the band because they knew this was going to be their last chance to get something on DVD because this was probably going to be their final tour/concert? I hope to god I'm wrong but I have a funny feeling I'm not. I give it a 3 star rating and not a 2 only because of the 2nd disc which contained the short documentary on the band's visit to Brazil. I found that disc to be very entertaining and enjoyable to watch. It was fun to see some of the band's pre-show rituals amongst other interesting and sometimes funny stuff. If you're a RUSH fan then you must have this DVD regardless of its sub-par audio. However, if you're not a fan I don't recommend you Rush out (Excuse the pun) and purchase this DVD.
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