This triple-DVD set of Rush playing live offers pretty much anything a fan could want from a concert film. The music is meticulously well played, and there is a little something for everyone among the 31 songs performed.

As the title suggests this material was filmed during the tour for the Snakes & Arrows release, and the bulk of that album is performed including Alex Lifeson’s acoustic guitar instrumental, “Hope.” But fans who’ve been there since the beginning will hear a bevy of the band’s radio staples, including “Limelight,” “Freewill” and “Subdivisions.”

The band is in excellent form even though singer Geddy Lee understandably can’t send his voice soaring into the high notes like he used to. Of course, drummer Neil Peart takes a solo, giving his massive kit a workout for about seven minutes. A three-song encore is preceded by a trifecta of set-closing biggies; “Distant Early Warning,” “The Spirit of Radio” and “Tom Sawyer.”

A few quirky shorts are included, some animated and others featuring band members. The main concert was filmed in Holland, but also included are four songs shot on the U.S. leg of the tour including “Ghost of a Chance” from Roll the Bones, which is seen on film for the first time ever.

Grade: A



Snakes & Arrows Live is currently available.