R30 - 30TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR

'We can go from boom to bust, from dreams to a bowl of dust....'

I forgot about that song ages ago. Now, the boyz resurrected Between the Wheels from 1984. Still, the song is a killer. Guess what, there's more where that comes from.

The purpose of this 30th anniversary bonanza is a tribute to the fans. Finally, we will see Rush at it's best, and I mean BEST. This super-show is probably the best we could expect from 50 year old musicians. And the best part, this is NOT Rush in Rio part 2. I got strucked immediately by the technical approach of muting the crowd. We cannot barely hear the fans reaction, while in Rio the crazyness of the Brazillians people gave the show a tremendous amount of energy. Frankfurt, on the contrary, has this cold feeling compared to Rio. And franklly, it's as good as it gets. This show really takes you somewhere high.

By that I'm stating the fact that we witness a totally different light show. And perhaps this is the key to the whole thing: this is like a trip in outer space. Rush wanted us to travel through the universe with them. At times, the lightning gear sets up like a giant spaceship is floating above the stage, drowning every bit into a steel blue light, giving the feeling of an eventual alien abduction. The lasers are rather shy, the emphasis being more on the atmospheric side. Get also a load of the fantastic jumbotron, taking much more space than ever and providing an hilarious episode of Rush's new show: Darn that Dragon.

While in Rio the sound was heavy as never before, Frankfurt is a charming piece of thoughtful preparation. Everything seems calculated, not a single spot of technical problem in sight. This is a grand ballet of prodigy, from Geddy's voice to Alex's guitar. Talking about Alex, Rio gave him a hard time. Many of his solos we're clumsy, if not out of tune. But this time, get ready because he steals the show by giving a spectacular flawless performance, carrying a good amount of the dvd's success on his shoulders.

Also the second cd is (finally) giving the fan a chance to see Rush in interview, which is a rare opportunity. Most of the stuff is hilarious, as usual Alex is proving us that he's a great entertainer. The easter eggs are nice, but don't give me as much excitement as I thought.

Overall, the show has less pep than Rio, but the sound, the image, the professionalism, media interaction and the feeling of being in intergalactic territory, the chance to hear old classics like Subdivisons, Between the Wheels, Mystic Rythms and Passage to Bangkok plus the chance to hear Mike Myers, Soundgarden and the Tragically Hip talking about their affection for Rush...all this, is simply a blessing.

Get this.

Even more spectacular than Rush in Rio, the 30th Anniversary DVD is a culmination of everything Rush has done in their career. From their simple "Zeppelin" roots to their grungy Vapor Trail of 2002, all past albums except Presto is represented on this live outing. The playing is spectacular and the set is superb. The Jerry Stiller Intro is a joy and the "That Darn Dragon" middle sequence is a comedic masterpiece. The R30 Overture is a magnificent instrumental composed of tracks from the first Rush album all the way to Hemispheres. The sound is a lot more mixed than Rio and the video quality is better. Alex Lifeson is precise and gives a better performance than on Rio, Lee's vocals are better and his bass sound is better than on Rio, and Peart's drumming is spot on and is a lot better than on Rio. In a word, buy this DVD if you want top notch performances. Other tracks worth mentioning are 2112, Xanadu, Red Barchetta and Limelight. All are performed effortlessly and are fan favorites to this day.

The 2nd DVD is a collection of interviews and videos of Rush performing certain songs. The interviews are very interesting and give a little insight into all of Rush's members. The videos are also very cool, with such classics as Xanadu and La Villa Strangiato being represented flawlessly. Also included is video footage of Rush's opening for the Rolling Stones during the Toronto Rocks! festival. The two easter eggs included are rewarding but not as good as you'd imagine. One shows Alex's incredible sense of humor and the other is a video comprising mostly of fan interviews.

Despite the lacking of 8 songs from the R30 set (The Trees, YYZ, One Little Victory, Secret Touch, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, La Villa Strangiato, Red Sector A, and Bravado), this is a phenomenal achievement that no fan of Progressive Rock should go without. I recommend the special edition, which includes a 2 cd set of the 1st DVD concert. 5/5.

The thing I like the most from this 2-DVD set is . that you can switch the volume button by yourself, how loud the Rush concert in Rotterdam was! But that was the only negative experience that evening, what a mindblowing and memorable gig, perhaps the best I ever saw and I have seen many times Rush on stage (almost every Rush concert in Holland, from Pinkpop 79 to Hold Your Fire 88)!

DVD1 contains a concert in Germany (Frankfurt) during the R30 tour. The visuals are overwhelming: a wonderful, spaceship-like lightshow (especially the red and green in Red Barchetta and the blue in Between The Wheels), beautiful lasers (Dreamline), alternating screen projections (the band members in action, historical pictures, cartoons) and sophisticated computer-animations like the concert-intro (all covers with a humorous touch), Geddy, Neil and Alex as The Thunderbirds against a dragon (Darn That Dragon) and swinging skelettons in Roll The Bones. The music is also very impressive, what an enthousiastic, energetic and crafted musicians and so professional, GREAT! I was stunned by all members but in my opinion Neil delivers his best performance ever, it seems that he has sublimated his anger about the lost of his wife (cancer) and daughter (traffic accident) into very high standard drumming, so powerful, dynamic and inventive! The interaction between the humorous Alex Lifeson (cascades of splendid soli) and enthousiastic Geddy Lee (imitating Chuck Berry his 'duck-step' during Force Ten) is also worth to watch, they use to give 100 percent to entertain the audience. Rush played for 3 hours during the R30 but unfortunately this is cut to 2 hours and 13 minutes by deleting songs like YYZ, The Trees and La Villa Strangiato. That's a pity but probably due to commercial reasons because otherwise Rush Live In Rio would be superfluous very soon..! I was very impressed by the prog and roll tracks like Red Barchetta, The Spirit Of The Radio and Tom Sawyer and the Feedback EP covers The Seeker (beautiful psychedelic images), Summertime Blues and Crossroads and the outstanding medley 2112/Xanadu/Working Man, this is Rush at their best!

DVD2 contains five interesting interviews between 1979 and 2002 and ten songs from the vaults like Xanadu featuring Alex and Geddy on Gibson and Rickenbacker twin-neck guitars (magical!) and A Farewell To Kings with wonderful images from the landscape of Wales and scenes from the three band members with very long hair! DVD2 also contains again two Easter Eggs and a fine booklet with many pictures.

THIS 2-DVD BOX SET HAS ALREADY ENTERED MY DVD TOP 3 OF ALL TIMES, WHAT A BREATHTAKING PROGROCK DOCUMENT FOR ALL SENSES!!

Rush into perfection ...

'R30' is a breathtaking performance. I can't point out one of those three musicians. Neil Peart plays very cool and powerful. Alex Lifeson is on the top this day and Geddy Lee manages vocals, bass and keys with his habitual safeness. I'm not very familiar with the band's live performances and don't know 'Rush in Rio' but I can't imagine they ever could have been better. Nearly everything is perfect. Great performance, very powerful concentrated work - a successful retrospective of the 30 years career of the band.

The Spirit Of The Radio is the first highlight and Red Barchetta - I love this song! The WHO cover The Seeker occures followed by a crazy movie before Tom Sawyer one of my RUSH favourites is performed. And especially here I'm disappointed because they play this song a little bit careless. But Between the wheels and the psychedelic Mystic rhythms are convincing me afterwards. And then Peart has his own nine minutes to show his qualities followed by a short acoustic set and Xanadu is another excellent working RUSH classic.

The second DVD is somewhat going into nostalgia. Ten movies were offered with differing sound quality. Very interesting to compare. As for a summary this production is highly recommended.

It's a long Muslim Holiday (after fasting month) right here in my country - so I can keep up with many DVD collections that I have purchased couple of months ago. I did not have a chance to enjoy each of them. Hmmm .. at least there are now still another 12 prog DVDs I need to enjoy until next week. Dunno whether I have time or not. Let's see ..

And now another DVD of Rush? Oh no . The band has bombarded with many live video concerts recently and it's probably running a race with Dream Theater? It's probably. Let's just enjoy the DVD. R30 commemorates the band's commitment in rock music and delivers their repertoires live in tour. This film was taken from their concert in Frankfurt. As far as design, I really enjoy the animation that represents an evolution of the band's cover in the early days until recently. I especially like the one with Dalmatian who does something on hydrant. It's really funny. All of the animations give great opening to the concert. The show starts with an overture comprising medley of the band's previous works in instrumental style. One thing to notice here is that the instrumental has nothing on melody (which on studio version was performed through vocal) - so it's just the riffs and rhythm section. However, people would easily know what songs the band are playing because they are obvious representing the songs being featured.

Geddy Lee, as usual, takes the lead as the band's communicator and entertainer. Sometimes he moves in closer distant with Alex Lifeson. Neil Peart has no smile at all and he is playing too seriously - no single strike has missed, I think! The overture then ends up with the intro of "Spirit of Radio" which has been famous to rockers all over the world. I sing along with the band when my favorite track from "Counterpart" album is played excellently: "Animate". It's then continued with "Subdivisions" - another great track from "Signals".

As far as band performance I don't think there is any single person who complains lack of virtuosities of the band members. Geddy Lee is not just an excellent bass player but also sings all lyrical verses with practically no backing vocals at all. He moves back on forth on stage, dynamically. Alex Lifeson guitar work and stage act are good viewing as well. Drum connects everything that bass and guitar have played altogether and of course . providing beats for the music. If you want to find some improvisations from the original studio version, you must be dreaming, my friends. Rush is the type of band that plays straightforward music as you have heard on record - except those being played medley.

Just before "Tom Sawyer" is played, there is relatively long animation presented in a funny way which helps relaxing the minds of the listeners before pondering into the heartbreaking track. Even though this track has been played in nearly every single concert of Rush, I still find it very uplifting to enjoy this track while nodding your head or head banging.

From Disc Two you can find interviews with the band since 1979 (with Geddy Lee) until 2002 Vapor Trail Tour (Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson) albums. There are important shots especially for Rush fans. I'm quite impressed that during the band's five years career they had performed 200 concerts with some of them were attended by 10,000 people. Such an enormous number for prog band. In addition to interviews with band members from Rush, Disc Two also gives "The Anthem Vault". My best favorite part of this vault is the band's live performance of "La Villa Strangiato". It's so perfect and it's so dynamic which makes pleasant viewing and full enjoyment.

Overall, this is an excellent live concert documentation which any Rush fan would be very pleased enjoying it. Do you want to rock? Get this DVD! Yeaaaahhh . keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

While "R30" lacks the gigantic sound of "Rush in Rio", it is as a whole a much more complete and professional live album. Showcasing songs from across the group's entire career and epic catalogue, it is perfect as a new fan's first live purchase, but dedicated fans may find the energy lacking what we've heard on other releases; however, the inclusion of many terrific documentaries more than makes up for that minor quibble. Plus, you get to see the hilarious intermission short "Darn that Dragon", which is loaded with fun Rush puns and references.

A solid live purchase from a great live band.

Setlist 4 Instrumental Performances 4 Stage Energy 3 Live Experience 3

R30 is yet another addition to Rush's live catalog, but I assure it's well worth the investment. Recorded in Frankfurt on the 30th Anniversary Tour, it shows that Rush can still rock with the best of them. The set opens with an instrumental medley that consists of one song from each Rush album from the debut through Hemispheres. Every member shows off his prodigious skill as they chug along merrily.

The rest of the concert is equally terrific. Here you'll find definitive versions of "Spirit of Radio," "Subdivisons," and "Earthshine." Happily, the band also brings back "Force Ten" and "Between the Wheels." Peart's drum solo, now titled "Der Trommler," is masterful like his solos always are. "Xanadu" and the first two movements of "2112" sound great, as does the acoustic version of "resist." The only fly in the ointment is that the band plays way too many covers from the Feedback EP. Only "Summertime Blues" sounds good here, but the rest should have been left off.

In the end, R30 is a wonderful DVD, but it fails to capture the energy of the magnificent Rush in Rio. To be fair, nothing can capture the energy displayed on Rush in Rio, but the overabundance of covers detracts from the otherwise stunning set.

Grade: B+

This DVD is more special to me than most other DVD's because it was the first Rush item I ever owned. The R30 setlist is one of the most diverse of Rush's history because the band is celebrating their 30th anniversay as a recording act, and they wanted to cover as many albums as possible, including their most recent covers EP, FEEDBACK. There's really no denying that Rush is one of the greatest live rock acts, and the R30 DVD is proof that they still have plenty left in the tank 30 years after their first album. They really make some of their later stuff like ''Force Ten'' and ''Earthshine'' shine and some of the bonus material is what more progsters will go over (performances of songs like ''A Farewell to Kings'' and ''La Villa Strangiato'').

'R30' - Rush (9/10)

There is a wealth of material to be found in this package. As a proud owner of most of Rush's material, I can safely say that as far as audio-visual product is concerned, this is the best Rush concert experience you are going to get, without actually being at a Rush concert itself (which in itself is a magnificent experience.)

'R30' shows the band in a wide variety of facets, ranging from some of their most intense material, then exhibiting the polar opposite in none other than a beautiful acoustic section of the performance ('Resist.')

The sound and visuals are calibrated perfectly for a home theater experience, and there are some decent special features to gander over as well, including old footage of the band, and interviews.

Overall, a very good concert release, and the quintessential Rush DVD!

Rush R30 documents the 30th anniversary tour that I was so foolish not to attend back in 2004. Luckily, this DVD is a marvellous product. It has the best sound of any recent Rush live release and the visuals are great to look at. It goes without saying that the live performance is excellent again. These guys never miss a beat in concert.

This live release is the first one since Show of Hands (and the only one to this date) that has such a well-balanced sound. Every instrument is clearly audible, the drums are tight and prominent, the bass can be followed through all its jaunts and the guitars are thick when needed and subtle where required. Alex's solos are stellar and Geddy Lee's vocals are in better shape then ever before. He doesn't even falter on the demanding 2112.

The album documents the entire career, starting with a medley of riffs from the 70's leading up to 1980's Spirit Of Radio, a song that they continue to perform with an unrelenting passion. It's one of the things I adore about this band. Their love and dedication for what they do is simply contagious. Life isn't perfect though. Tom Sawyer drags a bit due to the slowed-down pace, Der Trommler is too lengthy, Xanadu is too short, and I'm missing a highlight like Natural Science or Jacob's Ladder to complete the set. Admitted, both of those would feature on any live Rush show if I had any say in it!

Great DVD and the best live Rush document in existence together with Replay x3.

What follows is another review of the 2009 Eagle Rock DVD of this concert, which features (in addition to the tunes listed above) 'Bravado', 'YYZ', 'The Trees' and 'One Little Victory' (in the first half) as well as 'Secret Touch' and a medley consisting of '2112', 'La Villa Strangiato', 'By-Tor and the Snow Dog', 'Xanadu' and 'Working Man' (second half).

There are a lot of Rush live DVDs about - probably too many - but this is by far the best. As other reviewers have indicated, the playing is fresh, the sound recording is excellent and the editing gives you the feeling you were there. All three players seem to be enjoying themselves. There's none of the gurning that would spoil some of Alex Lifeson's performances on later live tours, and Geddy Lee never seems to be going through the motions - quite the contrary, in fact.

In addition, the set list is about as perfect as one could wish. To my regret, 'Free Will' and 'Analog Kid' are missing (two songs that were included in DIFFERENT STAGES LIVE, Rush's most comprehensive live CD) but the presence of 'Force Ten', 'YYZ' and 'La Villa Strangiato' more than makes up for that. 'Xanadu' (probably Rush's greatest composition) appears in truncated form; strangely enough it would receive a more majestic performance on the R40 Live DVD / Blu-ray, which (on the whole) is far less convincing than this one. I must also admit there are a few weak moments. 'One Little Victory' is tuneless and worth skipping, and Neil Peart's long drum solo fails to hold the attention. But almost everything else is sheer joy.

The bonus material consists of a number of live performances which mainly draw your attention to the band's peculiar wardrobe (in the 1970s and the 1980s). It also contains five extensive and quite serious interviews with all three members of the band. These are an illuminating addition to the documentary BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE. The main advantage is that you can actually hear your heroes speaking at the time they were recording some of their best albums.