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Rush in Rio

 
Album Review: Rush in Rio
 

  • Artist: Rush
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: October 21, 2003
  • Type: Live
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Set for production as a live DVD from the Vapour Trails tour, the audio from Rush in Rio clearly stands as a startling historical and musical document. The live mix is simply superb and reveals the show as it happened, without overdubs or DAT splices. The band played in front of their second-largest crowd ever, 40,000 people on the final night of the tour. (The largest was 60,000-plus the night before in São Paulo in the rain.) Covering three CDs, this is one of those documents that can make a punter wonder why he ever doubted the glory, majesty, and heavy, overblown, pretentious rock power of Rush. Opening with thunderous crowd noise, "Tom Sawyer" -- with complete audience participation from the git -- it is somehow awe-inspiring to hear 40,000 people singing the song with Geddy Lee. These people are so crazy; they aren't left out of the mix because they couldn't be! But it works. There was no soundcheck that night due to production delays in the arena. This is the sound of a band going for it in spite of everything and on the wing -- and the sound, very live, very real, extremely dynamic -- and not only do they pull it off; they issue their best live outing ever. Seeing Rush live can be an experience, but only those people in Rio saw them like this: far from complacent veteran rock stars, they musically push their own envelopes to the breaking point and goad each other onto ever greater intensity. Lee's bass playing has never been this ferocious, so aggressive and driving -- on a live album anyway. Neil Peart pushes the entire band with his polyrhythmic assault and overdriven flourishes and fills; knowing this is the last date, he gives it all up in every single track. And Alex Lifeson, ever the band player, is, on this night anyway, simply the greatest arena rock guitarist in the world. The program ranges over the band's entire recorded output. The majority of the material comes from Farewell to Kings and after, though "Working Man," "2112," and a medley of "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and "Cygnus X-1" are present here. Versions of "Roll the Bones," "The Big Money," "One Little Victory," "Ghost Rider," "Red Sector A," and "La Villa Strangiato" are given something like their definitive reads. Again, on well-known tracks like "Closer to the Heart," "Free Will," and "Spirit of Radio," the crowd participation would normally be off-putting. In this context, however, it is an asset. One can hear how this adulation and frenzy literally feeds the band, forcing the issue and making these breathtaking performances. To round out the encores on disc three Rush has included "board bootlegs" of "Between Sun & Moon" and "Vital Signs" that are more than worthy performances. They were taken from shows in Phoenix and Quebec. For those for whom Rush is a secret and guilty pleasure, it's time to indulge it openly by playing this for friends who erroneously insist that Sonic Youth or Strokes concert bootlegs are the epitome of "big-label live rock." For the faithful, you'll know. This one is bloody great. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks



CD 1

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Tom Sawyer Pye Dubois, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:04)
Distant Early Warning Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:50)
New World Man Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:04)
Roll the Bones Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (6:15)
Earthshine Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:44)
YYZ Geddy Lee, Neil Peart Rush (4:56)
The Pass Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:52)
Bravado Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (6:18)
The Big Money Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (6:03)
The Trees Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:12)
Freewill Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:48)
Closer to the Heart Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, John Michael Talbot Rush (3:04)
Natural Science Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (8:34)


CD 2

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
One Little Victory Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:32)
Driven Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:22)
Ghost Rider Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:36)
Secret Touch Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (7:00)
Dreamline Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:10)
Red Sector 'A' Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:16)
Leave That Thing Alone Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson Rush (4:59)
O Baterista Neil Peart Rush (8:54)
Resist Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:23)
2112 Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (6:52)


CD 3

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Limelight Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:29)
La Villa Strangiato Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (10:05)
The Spirit of Radio Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (5:28)
By-Tor and the Snow Dog Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:34)
Cygnus X-1 Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (3:12)
Working Man Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson Rush (5:48)
Between Sun & Moon Pye Dubois, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:51)
Vital Signs Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Rush (4:58)

Credits

Rush (Main Performer), James Barton (Engineer), James Barton (Mixing), James Barton (Pre-Mixing), Chris Blair (Production Design), Chris Gordon (Assistant), Alex Lifeson (Mixing), Kooster McAllister (Assistant Engineer), Neil Peart (Liner Notes), Hugh Syme (Art Direction), Hugh Syme (Design), Hugh Syme (Illustrations), John Whitehead (Tour Accountant), Russ Ryan (Bass Technician), Brian Collins (Stage Crew), Ken Mitchell (Stage Crew), Liam Birt (Executive Producer), Liam Birt (Tour Accountant), Liam Birt (Tour Manager), Andrew MacNaughtan (Photography), Pegi Cecconi (Executive Producer), Pegi Cecconi (Staff), Jo Ravitch (Concert Sound), Patrick Thrasher (Assistant), Brian Evans (Concert Sound), Dave Burnette (?), Steve Hoffman (Staff), Colin Davis (Projection), James George (Video), Dave Cook (?), Don West (Voices), Brad Madix (Concert Sound Engineer), Ric Britton (Guitar Technician), James Ellis (?), Adam Ayan (Mastering), Lorne Wheaton (Drum Technician), Dave Davidian (Video), Jon Arrowsmith (Pyrotechnics), Tom Hartman (?), Bob Larkin (Video), Lashawn Lundstrom (?), Craig "C.B." Blazier (Production Coordination), Karin Blazier (Production Assistant), Adrian Brister (Video), Brent Caarpenter (Stage Monitor Engineer), Ray Danniels (Management), Gil Faria (Voices), Kevin "Kap" Kapler (Concert Sound), Carrie Nuttall (Photography), M. Rossi (Photography), Rob Bairos (Animation), Joe Barlow (Assistant), Cynthia Barry (Staff), Jon Cordes (?), Matt Druzbik (Lighting), Bob Farmer (Staff), Bruce French (Voices), Tony Geranios (Keyboard Technician), Michael Gibney (?), Shane Gowler (Lighting), Jamie Grossenkemper (Lighting), Greg Hermanovic (Animation), Keith Hoagland (Lighting), Don Johnson (?), Alan Kapler (Animation), Steve Kotzer (?), Anna LeCoche (Staff), Rayanne Lepieszo (Staff), Frank McGrath (Voices), Arthur McLear "Mac" (?), McLoughlin Family (Merchandising), MD Clair Bros. (Concert Sound), Michael Mosbach (Property Master), Shelley Nott (Artist Coordination), Shelley Nott (Staff), Sheila Posner (Staff), Randy Rolfe (Staff), Peter Rollo (Personal Assistant), Paul Simpson (Animation), Jarrett Smith (Animation), Norman Stangl (Projection), George Steinert (Organ), Lonnie Sweet (?), Hilton Treves (Projection), Vapor Trails Tour Crew (?), Rich Vinyard (Lighting), Ben Voigt (Animation), Farah Yusuf (Animation)
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Wikipedia: Rush in Rio
Top
Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio cover
Live album by Rush
Released October 21, 2003
Recorded 2003
Genre Hard rock, rock, progressive rock
Length 2:53:25
Label Anthem (Canada)
Anthem/Atlantic
Producer Alex Lifeson and James "Jimbo" Barton
Professional reviews
Rush chronology
Vapor Trails
(2002)
Rush in Rio
(2003)
Feedback
(2004)

Rush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music). The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on the Vapor Trails Tour but not at the Maracanã Stadium concert. "Between Sun & Moon" was recorded at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona, on September 27, 2002, and "Vital Signs" was recorded at the Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, PQ, on October 19, 2002.

The album was certified Gold in the US by the R.I.A.A. in February, 2004. The track "O Baterista" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2005, but lost to Brian Wilson's "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow".

Rush in Rio was the first live album released by the band to not follow the pattern of releasing a live album after every four studio releases, and was also the first to feature a complete setlist without any changes in song order, including Neil Peart's drum solo.

At this concert, Rush played to 40,000, their second largest crowd on the Vapor Trails Tour (the largest crowd was 60,000 at the show the previous night in São Paulo).

Contents

Track listing

Disc 1

  1. "Tom Sawyer" – 5:04
  2. "Distant Early Warning" – 4:50
  3. "New World Man" – 4:04
  4. "Roll the Bones" – 6:15
  5. "Earthshine" – 5:44
  6. "YYZ" (Lee, Peart) – 4:56
  7. "The Pass" – 4:52
  8. "Bravado" – 6:18
  9. "The Big Money" – 6:03
  10. "The Trees" – 5:12
  11. "Freewill" – 5:48
  12. "Closer to the Heart" – 3:04
  13. "Natural Science" – 8:34

Disc 2

  1. "One Little Victory" – 5:32
  2. "Driven" – 5:22
  3. "Ghost Rider" – 5:36
  4. "Secret Touch" – 7:00
  5. "Dreamline" – 5:10
  6. "Red Sector A" – 5:16
  7. "Leave That Thing Alone" – 4:59
  8. "O Baterista" – 8:54
  9. "Resist" – 4:23
  10. "2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx" – 6:52

Disc 3

  1. "Limelight" – 4:29
  2. "La Villa Strangiato" – 10:05 ( Including a stream of consciousness rant by Alex Lifeson and interpolating "The Girl from Ipanema")
  3. "The Spirit of Radio" – 5:28
  4. "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" – 4:34 (Shortened excerpt of the studio track)
  5. "Cygnus X-1" – 3:12 (Shortened excerpt of the studio track)
  6. "Working Man" (Lifeson, Lee) – 5:48
  7. "Between Sun & Moon" – 4:51 (Bonus Track)
  8. "Vital Signs" – 4:58 (Bonus Track)

Personnel

Singles

Information
"Resist"
  • Released:
  • Written by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson & Neil Peart
  • Produced by: Alex Lifeson and James "Jimbo" Barton
  • Chart positions:

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rush in Rio" Read more

 

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