RUSH: Snakes and Arrows Live [Blu-ray]
by Pierre & Francois Lamoureux
![RUSH: Snakes and Arrows Live [Blu-ray]](/images/RUSH-Snakes-and-Arrows-Live-Blu-ray-B001GJOL22-L.jpg)
List Price:
Our Price: $21.93
You Save: $8.01 (27%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Blu-ray
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: RushDirector: Pierre & Francois Lamoureux
Brand: Alfred Publishing
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 221 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2008-11-24
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Zoe Records / Pgd
Product features:
- Blu-Ray Disc
- Rush
- Format Blu-Ray Disc
Movie Reviews of RUSH: Snakes and Arrows Live [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: Quite simply... Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was just thinking about it and it occurred to me that this is a perfect product for me to review. Why? Rush has been my favorite band since 1978. Ok, Dream Theater has tied that mark since 1992, but I digress... I am a semi-professional photographer (i.e. picture quality) for 6 years (and a photographer for 35 years & have been a more than obsessive hobbyist, but the recording kind (6 CD's in the last 18 years), musician for 25 years, with Rush as one of my key influences. And of course, I've seen them on every tour since 1980 and I saw them 5 times on the tour from which this was culled. So, OK, it's not from a neutral perspective. But it is from a very knowledgeable perspective. This review is from one Rush fan to another...
With that said, having seen the show twice on leg 1 and 3 times on leg 2, I can say the contents of this DVD compared to my memory of the five shows I saw ranks equal to the second best of those two and thus slightly less than the best show out of all five.
The first leg shows were unique in that not 1, but 3 songs that either had not been played live at all (Entre Nous) or not in roughly 24 years or more (Digital Man, Circumstances) were included in the setlist. Only Digital Man remained from those 3 in the second leg. However, Ghost of a Chance, a gem of a song from Roll the Bones, which had been sadly ignored since that tour, was added in place of Entre Nous on the second leg and a few more classic standards were played as well. This tour included the most material from a new album by Rush (Snakes & Arrows) since the late 80's, and the quality of the newest album warranted this.
Rush is the type of band that likes to settle on a set list and continue perfecting the execution of it throughout the tour. From a very old interview, I recall them saying they wanted every fan to have the same experience. This would explain the similarity in the show throughout a tour. The nature of their perfectionism seems to allow them to do this and stay interested.
Anyway, to specify the items which I believe are highlights, I would say that Digital Man is definite highlight. The arrangement is altered slightly to remove the middle iteration of the bridge and head straight into the solo section, and execute the bridge as only an outro with Geddy Lee jamming the bass out on it instead of being locked to a keyboard. That part always seemed awkward and what they did in terms of arrangement was precisely what I had hoped for. Oddly, though this is a highlight, I believe that Alex nailed the solo slightly better on several of the shows I saw, especially the one in Orlando, which is why I rate it higher. He still nails it here, just slightly sloppier on the fast lick. I'm nitpicking, but it's true.
The next highlight is Freewill. Surprisingly, since I thought the Exit Stage Left version was so perfect. And while that's true, there are several reasons why this one stands close to that, or alongside it. First, the solo section is simply amazing. In particular, the camera work - which is stunning throughout this video - is absolutely amazing on this song's solo section. It has to be seen to be believed and the band just nailed it too. Perhaps the Exit Stage Left guitar shreds slightly hotter and Neil drums a little harder then, but there's a maturity in the execution here that compensates, and the intensity level is still so high, it shouldn't be plausible for men their age, LOL. Oh yea, and Geddy nails the high notes on the Bridge, just as he did in each of the shows I saw.
There are many, many more highlights, and every song lives up to any other version you may have seen elsewhere, so I won't belabor each one in agonizing detail.
I will move onto sound quality. This is the best sound quality of the three modern era videos/DVD's they've released, hands down. I have a DVD version as well that I play if I'm somewhere where Blu Ray isn't convenient. So I've played the audio through both my surround system in my house and through the system in my car's DVD/CD/NAV. In the car, when choosing the surround option, I have noticed that Geddy's bass sound stands out in a way where his tone is particularly distinguishable and it is positively perfect. It has the growl, the grind, of his Moving Pictures sound. The Fender Jazz is the reason and it is doing the job superbly. Every instrument is clear and powerful, both crisp and punchy at the same time, and they sound excellent in both the car and at home. A stellar job.
Finally, I will get to the camera work. This is as much a highlight of this DVD as Rush is. The work is so good throughout it absolutely slays the rest of their videos. In Blu Ray it is possible to see the crispness of the work also. You realize how quickly and precisely these excellent professionals obtain and maintain subject focus. This has to be one of the best crews I've seen. I know it's at least partly automated because of the occassional view of the auto camera sliding across the front of the stage. And there are numerous angles, allowing a perfect mix of angles for the Rush fan to see. Every time you think they couldn't get tighter, the angle gets tighter. This is ultimately typified by the work on Freewill, as mentioned above.
One thing I would elaborate on is to get into the Bonus material from Atlanta. I do not feel this crew did quite as good a job as the Rotterdam crew. It was good but not at that level. This is especially noticeable immediately. On the first song, Ghost of a Chance, there is a lot of Red in the lighting. As a photogrpher that attempted to photo this band in the early 80's (when they were still cool enough to let you bring in a 35mm SLR), I know Red is the biggest pain in the tush for getting sharp pictures. Nevertheless, these are pros getting paid big money, and the shots are clearly back focused and Geddy is softly focused. There are a few other instances in this 26 minutes of Bonus material where you see the slightly lesser quality of the work by the cameraman.
Having said that, I would like to point out that I have also watched this on DVD on a standard resolution TV. And I would like to say that this Bonus material offers the perfect opportunity for anyone trying to convince their spouse or whomever that Blu Ray is significantly better, the reason why that is. The focus issue that was utterly obvious on Blu Ray is totally undiscernible on a standard resolution TV. It's already so much softer, it's evened out. It's a perfect tool to make that point completely clear.
The setlist here has quite a few of the standards but contains so much material that is newly available, it is well worth it for that reason alone. However, this is a Top Quality performance among Top Quality Shows - clearly among the best. And this is the best camera work I've ever seen on a live DVD. The audio is at least nearly the best, if not the best, that I've heard as well. Pure quality on every front.
Summary of RUSH: Snakes and Arrows Live [Blu-ray]
While previous DVD releases showcase different sides of the band, this DVD offers fans a rare and close-up look at the prodigious musicianship for which the band is renowned. Rush's Snakes & Arrows Live, which includes the Grammy Award-nominated track Mal