R30 - 30TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR

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+