Rush - R30 DVD

[Liu]

Rush - R30 DVD
Anthem

Few bands have managed to survive as long as Rush has, much less with their integrity, drive and passion still intact after all these years. Its been well over 30 years since the band graced us all with their self-titled debut and the world is a better place for it. The band has amassed a loyal following, all initially without the benefit of widespread radio airplay. Pretty impressive for three canucks. Fast forward three decades, and here we are with R30, a live DVD/retrospective.

The first disc contains a live concert recorded in Frankfurt, Germany during their R30 anniversary tour. Of their 17 studio albums, 16 are represented here in one form or another (Presto being the only album omitted). Unfortunately, much of the early material is represented in a much reduced form via the opening R30 Overture medley. Because of this, the presentation greatly favors the 80's synth era material over the 70's prog rock material, which in my own opinion is far superior to the later material. This is a minor gripe, as the very underrated cut, Animate, made it onto the setlist. However, I do have a major gripe with the four cover songs. The band no doubt sounds like they are having alot of fun busting out some of the songs at influenced them, but this is supposed to celebrate the band's 30th anniversay yet room was made to include songs that have no bearing on the band's legacy. This complaint is futher augmented when you realize that songs were cut from the live gig, two of which being the classics YYZ and Red Sector A. Both of these are far more deserving on being here than The Seeker, Crossroads or Heart Full Of Soul. Heck, some of the songs that are on the R30 Overture should have been heard in their completed versions. When's the last time the band played Bastille Day in its entirety!?

One doesn't really need to mention each member's individual performances. If you don't recognize Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart as being living deities, then you have no business reading this site. However, the band's one weak link has always been Geddy's vocals and its apparent that time has not been kind to that man's pipes. He sounds rough and strained during the first full song, The Spirit Of Radio. Thankfully, a few songs in he improves so that the problem no longer becomes apparent. Something of note is that the band for whatever reason decided to employ the use of quick camera cuts for viewing (think Iron Maiden's Rock In Rio DVD). Its quite annoying since you can't really admire the band playing for very long before the camera changes elsewhere.

Disc one may have a few shortcomings but that its more than made up for with the second disc. Containing rare interviews and video clips, this is a virtual treasure trove for a Rush fan. There are 5 interviews, the earliest being from 1979. They give great insight into the band's development and writing process. The video clips are mostly from the 1970's, the highlights in my view being the clips for Xanadu and La Ville Strangiato. If after watching the Xanadu clip you are not left dumbfounded over Neil Peart's drumming ability, you might as well jump off a bridge. If anything else, it leaves you wanting a bit more than the 10 videos on display (its really 9 since the 1979 soundcheck of The Spirit Of Radio is barely a minute long). We all know that there has to be more in that Anthem vault.

There are two different versions of this release: a bare-bones version with just the DVD's and a deluxe edition that includes the DVD's plus 2 audio cd's containing the live concert plus two guitar picks and a laminated R30 tour pass. Naturally the deluxe edition is the perfered version to get, but you have to check the packaging before buying. The sticker in front makes no mention of the extras, the only way to know is the thickness between the standard and deluxe editions. Either way, R30 is a must-buy for all the Rush fans out there. Heck this review probably isn't necessary cause all of you should own this by now anyway.


Disc 1:

01. R30 Overture: Finding My Way, Anthem, Bastille Day, A Passage to Bangkok, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres
02. The Spirit of Radio
03. Force Ten
04. Animate
05. Subdivisions
06. Earthshine
07. Red Barchetta
08. Roll The Bones
09. The Seeker
10. Tom Sawyer
11. Dreamline
12. Between the Wheels
13. Mystic Rhythms
14. Der Trommler
15. Resist
16. Heart Full of Soul
17. 2112
18. Xanadu
19. Working Man
20. Summertime Blues
21. Crossroads
22. Limelight


Disc 2:

Interviews:

01. 1979 Hamilton, Ivor Wynne Stadium
02. 1981 Le Studio, Quebec
03. 1990 Artist of the Decade interviews
04. 1994 Juno Hall Of Fame induction
05. 2004 Vapor Trails tour interview

The Anthem Vault:

01. Fly By Night
02. Finding My Way
03. In The Mood
04. Circumstances
05. La Villa Strangiato
06. A Farewell to Kings
07. Xanadu
08. The Spirit Of Radio (1979 soundcheck)
09. Freewill
10. Closer to the Heart

(Audio discs 1 & 2 in the deluxe edition have same tracklist as the DVD disc 1 concert)


Disc 1 Score: 7/10
Disc 2 Score: 9/10

Overall score: 8/10

[Chris Slack]

I watched this on INHD2 the other day and was pretty impressed. If you get the chance to watch this in hi-def do so, the picture is stunning.

[Liu]

If I ever get the chance I will!