Rush in Rio

First concert DVD ever from legendary rock trio Rush, now available as a single DVD. Recorded and filmed at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the final night of the band's 2002 tour, in front of 40,000 fans.

Taped in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the final night of Rush's 2002 emVapor Trails/em tour, this set finds Canada's famous power trio giving its all for 40,000 of the most rabid Rush fans ever gathered under one sky. Sure, the guys are all pushing 50. Bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee strains to hit some high notes, and guitar wizard Alex Lifeson occasionally sounds a tad bored. But by and large they remain at or near the peak of their powerful game--and, from the looks of it, they're having more fun than ever. Drawing from 15 of their 17 studio albums and leaning heavily on emVapor Trails/em, they celebrate their stylistic range (progressive-leaning classic rock to dense but melodic post-grunge) and the far broader scope of drummer Neil Peart's considered lyrics. The Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 sound quality is generally good, if overly compressed. Peart's drums sound fabulous, in fact: splashy and tight and far more natural than they've sounded on any Rush album, live or otherwise, in years.  em--Michael Mikesell/em