RUSH IN RIO

Great Rock Concert, Crazy Crowd!!!

Have you ever seen or involved in any rock concert where all the crowd sing a long while the lead singer is singing the lyrical part of the song? I bet that most of you have been in that situation. A good example is probably Queen live "Killers" or Iron Maiden "Rock in Rio". Yes, it's probably the case. But, let me honestly ask you : Have you ever seen or involved in a rock concert where all the crowd sing a long while the band plays an instrumental song? It's a tricky question actually : it's similar with the first question but the context is different now, there is no singer singing the melody of the song with lyrical passage. How can you sing while there is no singer required? That's exactly what happens with this live set: all (I repeat all!) crowd were singing the melody of an instrumental song "Yyz" while the band was playing it on stage. What amazes me really that the crowd voice is louder than the band's music!! Well, you must agree with me that Rio crowd is totally crazy ..!!!!!!! That suffices to say that this is definitely a GREAT rock concert of all time. Ghuszzz . I have never seen or listened to any recorded live material with this level of craziness of the people in Brazil. Wonderful man! (I imagine myself if I were in the crowd I would join them and had fun all along the show . Hmmm I envy on all rockers in Brazil man . They are truly rockers!!!)

The Concert - DVD One

I have always considered Rush music in an association with hard rock / heavy metal vein even though their composition has a very intense prog elements. With this kind of music I would have imagined that their music requires high energy to perform live. But these three gentlemen from Canada has amazed me - Yep, I am totally "rolled to the bone"!!) - with powerful performance they demonstrate through this recorded live DVD. From the start of the show with the band's masterpiece "Tom Sawyer" till brain surgery "intermission" and continues again with second part until it ends, they perform their music consistently with flawless delivery. Despite their age, they still rock the world man ..!!! Superb stamina and musicianship!!!

"Tom Sawyer" blasts the show off with a powerful sound combined with loud voice from the crowd. Wow!!! Man .. What a fantastic opening track! The sonic quality of the DVD is really awesome - it's probably due to the DTS technology. I keep the volume at my power amp relatively high to get a closer nuance of a true live show. Oh man . that voice .. yeah . that voice from the crowd is damn noisy but it's very lively - it's like putting me in the middle of the crowd! Music-wise, the band performs with practically no mistake at all - or if there is it's gone unnoticed. When the second track continues with a song from "Grace Under Pressure" album called "Distant Early Warning" - I cannot refrain myself from getting involved the crowd moves. Oh man . what a lively atmosphere!

The musicians perform really well with their jobs on stage. Geddy is the most mobile during the show as he walks back and forth from and to the location of keyboard. Alex stays stable at left side (crowd view) of the stage with his great guitar style. Neil Peart - oh man . he is at his best in this live version! He plays his drum set in a constant and well maintained stamina; fills in the musical gaps with energetic mood. He is still one of the best rock drummers. His drum solo in "O Baterista" is really SUPERB!

One thing that I learn through watching this DVD is the fact that I can appreciate more on tracks that I do not favor much in the "Vapor Trails" album like "Earthsine". I don't know why, I enjoy this live version despite that I do not like the album as a whole. Since I watch this DVD, I can enjoy this track. I also enjoy (very much) "Leave That Thing Alone" that I never liked it before (from the album "Counterparts"). But after I watch this DVD, I really like this energetic instrumental piece!

One of may favorite Rush tracks "Natural Science" is performed excellently. I remember the first time I purchased "Permanent Wave" album in the past and how amazed I was with this song. The cover version under "Working Man - A Tribute to Rush" is also an excellent outfit.

The Documentary and Multiangle - DVD Two

If in DVD One you can enjoy the full concert on stage, the DVD Two contains documentary part: "The Boys in Brazil". This is what I love about this DVD. I enjoy the documentary part as I enjoy the show because in this part I can learn more about the story behind the show without having to obtain a "Backstage Pass". (Well, if I were in Brazil, I would definitely try to get this pass to chat with the musicians).This part is used to build up my comprehensive understanding about Rush (in general) but especially about the show in Brazil.

Every single second of the documentary part I really enjoy it. It casts interview with each of the band's members, their rehearsal and practice before the show, their preparation for the Sao Paulo concert before Rio was taken place. The fans enthusiasm about the band members are also nice shot. I even amazed with the cast about a female die hard fan explaining how Rush means a lit for her - with tears on her eyes. Three members of Brazil's metal band SEPULTURA were also there in the show and documented in DVD Two. I wonder where the members of ANGRA when the show was performed?

I also love to know that in fact - as said by Geddy - the band did not have a chance to do the sound check and film check before the show. What it was shot was exactly the first shot the band got it and finally it became this DVD.

In addition to the documentary, there is also part on multiangle view provided (for three songs) so that we can focus to each member of the band during the song is performed.

Overall Recommendation

It's a highly recommended live DVD, rating 5 out of 5 as everything is just perfect rock concert! I purchased only the DVD version as I could not afford to buy the combo package. At the end, I found that it was a wise decision to get the DVD only as my friend told me the CD audio quality is not as excellent as the DVD. I guess it's probably the DTS technology. Keep on progging!

Yours progressively,

GW - Indonesia.

this DVD is a masterpiece, an outstanding contribution to prog. all the songs are played superbly. neil peart is just...... mind bogling, his drum solo surpasses any i have ever heard (including my own attempts), geddy shows himself to be an excelent bass player, solid and fluid. alex lifeson may not be the best guitarist i have heard but what he plays sounds great (although surly he doesnt need to change his guitar as often as he does).

***BUY THIS DVD!!!!!!!!!!***

A real keeper.

To say the least, Rush ended victorious of the heavy marathon concerts that was Vapor Trails. The last performance was captured and they gave a fantastic performance. Rush fans really waited a long time to have them on DVD and to finally have REAL FOOTAGE outside the concerts. Oh brother, it was ABOUT CROAKING TIME! Take the time to listen to the rich documentary they've produced. This is a great gift for fans like me. To see them in some more relax time is priceless.

Who knew: they were so big in Brazil? what kind of crap hit on them in the Brazilian tour? that Geddy's hair could get so frizzy? the story behind Neil's tragedy? what's a shrimp cut? what's that soup they're taking about?

Alex Lifeson's laugh out loud humor, Neil's constant reading, Geddy's human approach with the crew, the easter eggs full of surprises, the songs you love played with a heavy approach, Neil's biggest and baddest solo yet, the super lighting show, a crazy crowd, Alex and Charlene in bed sharing fun jokes, a chance to see Geddy's wife, a warming fraternity moment between Alex and Neil, Neil practicing in secret, fans meeting their heroes, members of Sepultura talking about their love for Rush, the most excellent crew fixing the stage, a trip in a van through the streets of Rio, Alex signing autographs for fans, each members saying something nice about each other...

This is a gift from above. So complete it makes you wanna cry.

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. All in all, a must have for any prog fan. It took a while for Rush to finally get on DVD, and this is well worth the wait. Enough said. 4 1/2 stars, minus 1/2 star for poor 5.1 mix and no DTS like they said they going to have when they were promoting this release, DAMN IT!

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The only flaw appears to be some soundcheck errors -- other than that, this DVD is the gift that keeps on giving!

Rush creatively lengthens their set list to cover all their favorite songs by about four times the average. The concert itself easily lasts for two to three hours if watched from beginning to end.

You need to see this to believe it. There is nothing short of perfect in this album, especially with Neil Peart who (at the date of the DVD) plays over twenty songs behind the drum set at age 51, including an eight-minute drum solo famously known as "O Baterista". Alex Lifeson's got some great stuff during "La Villa Strangiato" in which he blabbers about nothing into the microphone instead of playing a guitar solo. Despite the fact that he sometimes suffers from Scorioscis (forgive me if I've mispelled that word), his incredibly fast riffs on "The Spirit Of Radio" and "By-Tor and The Snow Dog" show little signs of aging. Most importantly, though his voice may grow a bit raspy at the end of the concert, (Who wouldn't? It's three freaking hours of non-stop singing) Geddy Lee still runs the miracle marathon by hopping up and down with his bass guitar in hand while belting out the cerebral lyrics to such classics as "Distant Early Warning" and "Natural Science".

This is a must-buy for any avid Rush fan AND for anybody interested in researching them.

I was there (!!!!) [and on the previous Sao Paulo show as well] and I felt like it was the gig of their lives. The DVD really captured the intensity of the audience and we (fans) really showed Rush that their craziest audiences are here in Brazil; everyone sang along every lyrics and instrumental passages and we could feel that the band was in complete ecstasy, playing at their best! If a band wants to know how much they are loved , bring them to Brazil!! The same thing occured on the Marillion/Iron Maiden/Deep Purple/etc. shows I've been to in Brazil: a hot audience thirsty for Rock 'n Roll who knows every song by heart!

In respect to the music, it's flawless, I've watched the DVD over and over and it's always surprinsing me with the richness of details and accurate individual performances; therefore, this is an essential prog/hard rock album for both the long-time fans and for the newcomers as well, since it comprises the best songs of all phases in Rush's career on a fantastic gig, with a great sound/video quality.

Obs.: Just for the record, Neil's drum solo "O Baterista" ("The Drummer" in Portuguese language) is breathtaking and really deserved the Grammy for best instrumental piece. It was about time the Americans recognised the work of one of the world's finest musician!

Keep Rushin'!!!!!!!!

A very energetic concert but ... I never heard a concert DVD with horrible sound mix and quality ... did they actually forgot to do a soundcheck here? and besides, the crowd drowns the music, which is something I do not like.

The song selection could have been better : too many poppy tunes of the 90s and few long songs like Xanadu.

The good thing of the album is that the musicians (if they can be heard) play at their very best here. Examples being the beautiful yessy guitar solo of Alex in La Villa Strangiato, and the 8 minute long drum solo.

I do not recommend this DVD unless you don't mind having the crowd drowning the band when singing alone, even during an instrumental! (YYZ).

My Grade: C

A great concert, but muddy audio hurts the overall perfect score. Rush's first time in Rio was also a great chance for them to record a live DVD, so they took it upon themselves to record possibly the best concert of the Vapor Trails tour. Beginning energetically with Tom Sawyer and concluding with power on Working Man, a brilliant mix of old and new material is played superbly, although the audio takes a toll with overly powerful snare and bass drum and a very muddy guitar. Lifeson plays brilliantly, but is a bit sloppy on the solos, Lee is spot on, but his bass is too twangy for my taste, and Peart is precise and perfect as always, but has a snare drum sound that is a bit annoying.

Imagine the band playing the songs on the CD version of this concert and you get the picture. Lifeson is as snappy as always on stage and he gets very into the music, Peart looks on pensively and plays the songs effortlessly, and Lee looks on with optimism and makes the mood very welcome. The crowd is excited and even chants along during the instrumentals (that's right, the instrumentals). The second DVD features some nice Multi-Angle shots for YYZ, El Baterista, and La Villa Strangiato and a splendid documentary on the tour for Vapor Trails. There is an easter egg that unlocks some footage of them playing Anthem back in 1975.

Overall, this is a great DVD. The set is superb and they are performed very well. But now that R30 is out, you might want to check that out first. Although there are 8 songs missing that are all featured on this DVD, I would still recommend that over this. It is a lot more balanced and has better sound and features. This is a great DVD in its own right, and you should check this out as soon as you can. 4/5.

i love rush, but I saw this dvd, and I think that there were some problem with the mix of the sound, usually when tyhis sort of errors happens, the band argue that, they wanted to show a sound similar to the live sound, with echo, and scream of the brazilian crowd wich is one of the best crowd I ever seen. the rest of the album is nice. I think the guys uf rush are a growing older, but. it doesnt metter.

when i saw this dvd,i had only two rush albums.so i was face to face with two and a half hours of new rush material.also i havent seen any rush videoclips.well now i own lots of albums and i believe that the song selection is great.as far as what i saw is concerned,i saw 3 excellent musicians with perfect sound doing their best.the visual effects make the concert a trip.5 stars

This is a really easy and short review:

If you like Rush's studio work, you will most definately like this dvd. The only real difference between the two is the incredible crowd. This to me is more of a greatest hits dvd. It is very impressive to see them play this stuff live though. I would definately recomend it.

Bought it the day it came out, loved it. DVD, Rio, Rush, hmmm, all I can say is that that is a recipie for brilliance. Touching in from all their great stages of life from Rush-Vapor Trails, this finishing product of the Vapor Trails tour is more or less a complete success. The choice of played songs is excellent while the quality is specatucular. If one is looking to see some Rush live, or just hear Rush for that matter, get this. Not only does Rush sound better live, but they also make it better. All your favorite songs should be on there, if it isn't, that's okay, they're all so good you won't even notice. 5/5 stars to the great Rush! This DVD is not only great preformance, but also the lights, pryo, and movies are incredible. One Little Victory desplays an awing pyro show of the knew Rush Dragon Mascot burning the screen to the stage (awkward explaining, you'll have to see it yourself). Any ways, it's incredible, whether new or old at Rush, it's good.

Footage for this DVD was shot on the last night of Rush's first ever Brazil tour in 2002. Band's performance on it self is amazing but the song selection could be better. Song selection on this DVD is okay if you are only an occasional Rush listener and you want a summary of their career. For a more demanding listener there aren't enough epic song like A Farewell to King or Xanadu and too much 90' shorter poppy songs. Another thong I have a problem with is the sound mix; the crowd is so singing so loudly that some times you can hardly hear the band. I would recommend this DVD only to a Rush newbie or to collectors and really devoted fans. For others it's non-essential but still a welcome addition.

This is a very good DVD concert, with Rush playing with energy some of their best songs from their discography. But I agree that the sound is not very good. The mixing has several problems:Geddy Lee`s voice is not very clear in the mix, the same happens with some parts of the keyboards. I think that this is a very often problem with concerts being filmed and recorded in open air stadiums, because the acoustics of the place are not as good as in other venues. But the band sounds very good despite the fact that they were out of action for 5 or 6 years due to personal problems of drummer Neil Peart. The keyboard sounds also changed due to the use of the new technology since the eighties. This is very clear mainly in the song called "Distant Early Warning".

The setlist is very varied with a good balance of "new" and "old" songs. The inclusion of "Natural Science" is a very good choice. The audience`s response to their playing is great, with the audience singing the lyrics of the songs with the band. The band looks surprised in some parts to this response.

In conclusion, this is a good DVD with shows the band in very good shape.

A pretty good show, good songs, nice energetic crowd. For those who don't know, their plane arrived late and they didn't have any time to do a soundcheck (risky business, since Neil Peart's MIDI Marimba was spazzing out the day before) . Fans were running in when they were still setting up the stage, so what can you expect?

The show itself was very good. They played several of my favorite songs, and the drum solo shows Neil's control and virtuosity at a new level. I got the cheapo Wal Mart DVD with only one disc, so I didn't get to see the documentary. I would recommend it for any casual fan of Rush, and it's a must-have for serious fans.

I read the booklet before I'd had the chance to sit and watch this. Indeed, I'd just installed a 5.1 sound system for the TV and this was its first real use! Best word to describe this? Mindblowing. They'd not played Brazil before, and freely admit they didn't realise their popularity there. The lack of a soundcheck kind of adds to the atmosphere - you're never going to get perfect sound at a gig anyway. It's not a studio!

This isn't a show for anyone wanting the 70s classics, but there are plenty other ones in there, and opening with 'Tom Sawyer' (the crowd goes utterly mad) sets the scene.

This is definitely a must-have for everyone who likes Rush even slightly. I'm slightly embarrased to admit that i heard Rush the first time quite recently. And i have to say that they went straight up as one of my all time favourites. I still will not make reviews of Rush' classic albums since so many other people have already reviewed these masterpieces.

However, Canada's gift to the worl of prog pulls out a kickass show on this one. And besides that, this DVD features one of the craziest crowds ever, as many reviewers have pointed out before. Basicly the only fault i can think of, is the sometimes undeniably poor mixing and soundquality, which is caused by the fact that they actually didn't have time for a soundcheck. But otherwise the gig is amazing.

In my opinion the highlights of the concert are of course the classics Tom Sawyer, YYZ and amazingly enercetic Spirit of Radio along with Neil Peart's insane drum solo. But even better is the intstrumental piece La Villa Strangiato, where Alex Lifeson plays one of the greatest guitar solo i've heard in a while (seriously, it's amazing!) and then some rather obscure sort of, hmmm, jazz-singing... it's quite hard to describe...

The only reason why i didn't give 5 stars to Rush in Rio is the sometimes non-perfect soundquality. Anyways, one of greatest progconcerts i've seen/heard.

I have such mixed feelings about this DVD. On the one hand, you have just about everything you could possibly want: a complete concert, an amazingly energetic crowd singing along with every song (including the instrumental YYX - something you MUST see), outstanding video production.

So what's the problem? Mostly the sound. The documentary DVD explains how the band could not do a soundcheck for the show and, as a result, the sound is muddy and flat. Worse, this is clearly not one of Alex Lifeson's best nights as he is pretty sloppy throughout. Those two elements drop the grade down to 4 stars and mar what would otherwise be a certain 5-star rating.

The real star of this show is the 40,000 crazy Brazilians. Singing, waving, screaming and just going NUTS throughout the show, they clearly energize the band members (who, despite a 30 year history, admit having never seen such a thing before). And yes, they sing the melody to YYZ to amazing effect. The audience literally seems ready to explode when the band kicks into 2112.

The setlist is also topnotch, with hits (Tom Sawyer, YYZ, Closer to the Heart), good later songs (Distant early Warning, The Pass, Bravado, Dreamline), classic obscurities (Natural Science, La Villa), the obligatory Peart solo and a solid closing medley. All gloriously displayed in eye-popping visuals. A complete 2 1/2 hour concert captured in entirety.

The second disc is also interesting. It includes a one hour documentary (interesting but not really compelling) as well as multi-angles views of three songs.

Again.....a sure-fire 5-star rating except for the bad sound.

The R-30 show will always hold a place in my heart as it was the first Rush item I ever owned. However, I feel that RUSH IN RIO has a better setlist. The inclusion of several instrumentals like ''YYZ'', ''La Villa Strangiato'' and ''Leave That Thing Alone'' made the difference for me. We also get the full instrumental beginning of ''Cygnus X-1'', ''By-Tor and the Snow Dog'' and ''The Trees'' for the Rush fan from the prog era. However, some of the better 80's and 90's tunes are here as well such as ''The Big Money'', ''Driven'' and ''New World Man'', and some of the VAPOR TRAILS stuff like ''One Little Victory'' and ''Earthshine'' is worth listening to. And you can't go wrong in my book if ''Natural Science'' is included.

The crowd may get in the way of someone's enjoyment of the show, but not mine. The Rio crowd really gives life to the concert, especially when they start singing to the instrumental ''YYZ''. I believe that this will be an all-time classic DVD sometime in the distant future and is worth watching to see Rush still have a ton of energy even after nearly 30 years of existence.

I am not a fan of this group and bought this at a value price. The concert was entertaining and the songs sounded excellent. A lot of bands out there if they had sound engineers like they did on this album would have full schedules for some time to come. Good atmosphere to play the songs with professionalism.

I was impressed at this live concert. The documentary was not overdone and the set list was dull to me only in a few areas-- where the music dragged on and was hard to not fast forward. I would not say this is essential prog but it is good. Essential to me would have to be more competitive--top to bottom an instant success. The sound for recording live was instant professionalism but the song set was lacking continuity.

This is not an album it is a live performance recorded.

The spirit of Rush captured live before an enthusiastic crowd

"Rush In Rio" is undoubtedly one of the best live records in the extensive Rush catalogue. Unlike some of the other live DVD concerts, this one features a lively crowd that insist on singing every line of every song and their enthusiasm is infectious. It always brings a warm feeling to hear them singing all the notes, even in the instrumentals. This is definitely one of the best DVDs of the power trio along with "Snakes and Arrows Live".

There are some brilliant moments to savour as a visual and oral experience. Lee, Lifeson and Peart are at their best, Lee is especially terrific on vocals, when his voice was powerful and dynamic. There are about 160 minutes of quintessential Rush favourites. Highlights abound such as Tom Sawyer, YYZ, where the crowd holler out every note and bounce like a football crowd, The Pass, Freewill, Closer to the Heart and a wonderful version of Natural Science, a track that drew me to the "Permanent Waves" album. There are incredible performances of One Little Victory, Leave That Thing Alone, Resist, and a 7 minute edited version of 2112. At least it is here but I rather the version on "All The World's A Stage"/

The last part of the concert is my favourite as it features indispensable classics such as Limelight, La Villa Strangiato, The Spirit of Radio, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, and a tacked on tiny version of Cygnus X-1. My favourite is Working Man, and it is given a wonderful treatment in Rio.

There are some unusual additions on DVD 2 with the most compelling documentary I have seen in years. The fly on the wall treatment of seeing what goes on behind the scenes is fascinating and worth the price of admission alone.

This concert is a lengthy but triumphant Rush paradise. The performances are faultless and it is full of energy and power from start to finish. Pick up this masterful DVD at all costs!

Recently Rush called it a day, to no surprise, after their long and impressive presence in prog and roll since the early Seventies. But a few years after they formed, the trio was mighty close to do the same, when everything went wrong since the release of their third album Caress Of Steel. Rush decided to give themselves a last chance with a new album. Geddy, Neil and Alex put everything in it, fortunately in 1976 the release of 2112 was a success .... and the rest is history!

Rush has always been a 'people's band', "nailed by the press and hailed by the fans". That's why I would like to put the focus on the Rush In Rio 2-DVD set.

DVD 1: In my opinion this live registration in Brasil is the best example of the warm connection and mutual appreciation between a band and its following. Because the audience (soaken by the heavy rainfall) went euphoric and because of their noisy appearance (of course here meant in a positive way) in especially YYZ, Closer To The Heart and La Villa Strangiato. It caused goose bumps on my skin, and it even gave me a bit wet eyes. How wonderful to watch that a band can evoke these wonderful emotions, and that music can mean so much to people!

Although the sound quality is not optimal, I enjoy this Rush playing in Brasil a very inspired set of songs from all periods, especially the 'classic' era compositions, like Natural Science, YYZ, The Trees and La Villa Strangiato. I am not very much into Rush after since Presto, the Vapor Trails tour didn't appeal to me during every song,but One Little Victory is a prog and roll gem, what an exciting guitar riff, on the level of Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page! Funny is the interlude in La Villa Strangiato, a great example from Rush their excellent blend of skills and humour.

DVD 2 : It contains a lot of interesting bonus material, I was blown away by the Multi-angle tracks but the Boys From Brasil docu is also very worth watching.

To quote Abba: "Thank you for the music!".