SNAKES & ARROWS LIVE

This 3 DVD Snakes and Arrows live set is the companion piece to the cd of the same name released earlier in 2008 containing exactly the same set though with the addition of some bonus features. It was filmed in Rotterdam in October 2007 with additional footage on the third disc from Atlanta.

There's been a few raised eyebrows of late over the amount of live material Rush have released over recent years but there's no denying the quality of this DVD set. The picture and filming quality is as good as it gets getting you close to the band from every conceivable angle including some excellent overhead shots of Neil Peart behind his enormous drum kit. The sound is also very good on a set weighing heavily towards their latest studio album, Snakes and Arrows. In fact as much as I enjoyed this album I would have preferred not quite so much material from it being featured on the last tour which would have left room for a more balanced set. Nevertheless, there's still room for some classic oldies. Very welcome are some less obvious old classics like Circumstances, Entre Nous, Witch Hunt and A Passage to Bangkok as well as the more predictable choices of Tom Sawyer, Freewill and The Spirit of Radio, though all excellent versions.

The first 2 discs being taken up by the Rotterdam performance, disc 3 is titled Oh Atlanta, the Authorised Bootleg and actually contains some of my favourite moments of the set in great versions of the 2112 Overture, The Temples of Syrinx and The Trees.

The first disc contains a number of extras in a few alternative versions of tracks focussing more on the live rear screen visuals used by the band, the What's That Smell alternative show intro movie and some pointless outtakes of this and strangely, one track from the R30 tour, Red Sector A.

Having already enjoyed the cd version of this, the DVD is even better and if you haven't already overdosed on live Rush then it's well worth adding to your collection though if you're debating on which of the more recently released Rush DVD's to buy I'd recommend R30 to this one, not least because of the host of extras it contains.