The disc opens to a really weird menu with a green-faced genie head offering the various menu options; later on, when I realized that the genie was guitarist Alex Lifeson, I was blown away – he always seemed so super-serious to me. Anyway, when the concert opens, Lifeson appears on stage, and when he plays the classic opening notes of “Limelight,” chills went down my spine. These guys haven’t lost a thing – they’ve gotten better with age! Lifeson’s guitar work is absolutely magnificent, and as the band plows through a mixture of their classic hits, stretching all the way back to 2112, I was simply stunned by how much I enjoyed this show! Of course, the largest block of songs (nine) is from their latest album, Snakes & Arrows, and to be honest with you – I probably need to give those a little more time to grow on me. But the thing that consistently amazed me was how much I enjoyed songs from the periods both earlier and much later than most of my experiences with the band. I was really impressed with the songs from 2112 – I have to admit, I’ve never heard the album, but am now eager to give it full listen. And when I heard Alex Lifeson’s stellar guitar work on “Ghost of a Chance,” a song I probably hadn’t heard in more than ten years – I was just blown away – I’ve got to get that into the mix!
Another thing that really impressed me with the group was how relevant the songwriting was; Neil Peart, the drummer, writes most of the band’s lyrics, and while the early material focused a lot on fantasy themes, much of the lyrical content since covers a range of topics, from ecology and technology run amok to the human condition. And Peart is one helluva drummer – his drum solo, “De Slagwerker,” had me reaching for the rewind button repeatedly – at one point, his hands are moving so fast, they’re literally a blur! My only real complaint with this disc was during the drum solo, at the most intense part, the camera crew chose to take a long shot of the arena – give me a break, will you! “De Slagwerker” alone is worth the meager asking price for this nearly three-hour disc!
Technically, this disc is just about flawless. The image quality of the Rotterdam concert is little short of magnificent, with superb image definition, excellent contrast and loads of detail in a very film-like presentation. Colors are bright and vibrant, but not oversaturated. The DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is also superb, but then so is the uncompressed PCM stereo – it’s just a win-win for whatever your preference is. The bonus features include additional concert footage from the Atlanta, GA show and from the R30 tour. With this taken into consideration, the concert’s length now is closer to three and a half hours! While the Atlanta footage is not a crisp as the Rotterdam footage, the sound is still in DTS HD MA, and is fantastic. The R30 outtakes are in 4:3 aspect ratio and PCM stereo, but are a welcome addition, nonetheless.
This concert really took me back! I started watching it at 10:30 at night, and finally at about 2 am I stumbled up to bed and to work the next day! Very highly recommended – Rush fans will rejoice, and the uninitiated will probably quickly become converts. Five stars!
TrackList: Limelight, Digital Man, Entre Nous, Mission, Freewill, The Main Monkey Business, The Larger Bowl, Secret Touch, Circumstances, Between the Wheels, Dreamline, Far Cry, Workin’ Them Angels, Armor and Sword, Spindrift, The Way the Wind Blows, Subdivisions, Natural Science, Witch Hunt, Malignant Narcissism/De Slagwerker, Hope, Distant Early Warning, The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer, One Little Victory, A Passage to Bangkok, YYZ, Ghost of a Chance, Red Barchetta, The Trees, 2112/The Temples of Syrinx.
