R30 - 30TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR

Even more spectacular than Rush in Rio, the 30th Anniversary DVD is a culmination of everything Rush has done in their career. From their simple "Zeppelin" roots to their grungy Vapor Trail of 2002, all past albums except Presto is represented on this live outing. The playing is spectacular and the set is superb. The Jerry Stiller Intro is a joy and the "That Darn Dragon" middle sequence is a comedic masterpiece. The R30 Overture is a magnificent instrumental composed of tracks from the first Rush album all the way to Hemispheres. The sound is a lot more mixed than Rio and the video quality is better. Alex Lifeson is precise and gives a better performance than on Rio, Lee's vocals are better and his bass sound is better than on Rio, and Peart's drumming is spot on and is a lot better than on Rio. In a word, buy this DVD if you want top notch performances. Other tracks worth mentioning are 2112, Xanadu, Red Barchetta and Limelight. All are performed effortlessly and are fan favorites to this day.

The 2nd DVD is a collection of interviews and videos of Rush performing certain songs. The interviews are very interesting and give a little insight into all of Rush's members. The videos are also very cool, with such classics as Xanadu and La Villa Strangiato being represented flawlessly. Also included is video footage of Rush's opening for the Rolling Stones during the Toronto Rocks! festival. The two easter eggs included are rewarding but not as good as you'd imagine. One shows Alex's incredible sense of humor and the other is a video comprising mostly of fan interviews.

Despite the lacking of 8 songs from the R30 set (The Trees, YYZ, One Little Victory, Secret Touch, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, La Villa Strangiato, Red Sector A, and Bravado), this is a phenomenal achievement that no fan of Progressive Rock should go without. I recommend the special edition, which includes a 2 cd set of the 1st DVD concert. 5/5.