Rush - Rush in Rio
Taped in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the final night of Rush's 2002Vapor Trailstour, this double-disc set finds Canada's famous  power trio giving its all for 40,000 of the most rabid Rush fans ever  gathered under one sky. Sure, the guys are all pushing 50.  Bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee strains to hit some high notes, and guitar  wizard Alex Lifeson occasionally sounds a tad bored. But by and large  they remain at or near the peak of their powerful game--and, from the  looks of it, they're having more fun than ever. Drawing from 15 of their  17 studio albums and leaning heavily onVapor Trails, they  celebrate their stylistic range (progressive-leaning classic rock to  dense but melodic post-grunge) and the far broader scope of drummer Neil  Peart's considered lyrics.The concert alone pushes three hours, and disc 2 offers a lengthy  documentary and multi-angle options for three songs. The Dolby Digital  5.1 or 2.0 sound quality is generally good, if overly compressed. Peart's  drums sound fabulous, in fact: splashy and tight and far more natural  than they've sounded on any Rush album, live or otherwise, in years. Not  to be missed--and needlessly hard tofind--is a 1975 promotional  clip forFly by Night's "Anthem." This set is a must, even for  the doubtful.--Michael Mikesell