Customer Reviews

Rush: Time Machine 2011 - Live in Cleveland

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As a 50 year young RUSH fanatic, having seen them live 45 times in 4 states since 1977, I have come to expect a lot from Geddy, Alex, and Neil in terms of their music and their live concerts. This is one classic rock band that has raised the bar for many others in terms of their quality music, studio perfection, and killer live shows. This 'Live In Cleveland' show is no exception. It delivers in every way! There is the very humorous 'time machine' vignettes that are part of the live show, that are seamlessly intertwined with the live music, and the infectious smiles and banter between the band. The audience was 'on fire' and clearly enthused and entertained. The DVD editing is superb, with just the right dose of great closeups of the 3 maestros performing magic on their instruments, the animated audience, and whole stage and arena shots. There are also a few 'extras', mainly a vintage video of 'Anthem' being performed at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ way back in the stone ages, and out-takes and bloopers from the 'time machine' vignettes. If you like Rush, this is a 'must own'. If you don't like Rush, this is a 'must own' as well!

Rush is a strange phenomenon...and has been for decades. Whether you love or hate their music you can respect the band members as utterly talented instrumentalists who (publicly) mock themselves. Prog rock is always criticized as being "pretentious" but Rush turns that characterization on its head. They perform dazzling music while appearing to enjoy and laugh at it. Name me another band that is similar...

The audience likely isn't quite aware of the skill required to perform at the level they do. To bake in the added humor only demonstrates more-so the fact that Geddy, Alex, and Neil are very humble folk with very uncommon talent.

At nearly 60 years-old these guys energetically outperform their grand-kids.

Live in Cleveland is a lesson in youth/aging we can all learn from. Remarkable.

I saw the Blu-Ray of this show last night. This was projected using a Panasonic theater-grade projector (the logo came up before the showtime) and the Blu Ray was the consumer version that will be released in December (I know this because the menu came up before the showtime). This review will be based on what I saw, and since I have no control over how that theater calibrated their projector, I cannot say with certainty if any of the flaws were due to the Blu Ray itself, or the projector/sound system. But here goes.

Sound-wise, things don't start out that impressively, but get progressively better as the show progressed. At first the sound was a bit flat in terms of dynamics and a bit soft. The bass lacked punch, and I didn't feel like I was at the show, but watching a show. The sound was clean, I could hear no feedback or hiss, and I could hear the spaces between the sounds. Eventually the sound mixers at the concert must have made some corrections because the sound improved from "okay" to "very good", at least for a live concert. There wasn't any obnoxious use of sound imaging, just some ambient crowd noise, nothing flying from one speaker to the next. Instrumentally, Geddy's bass and Alex's guitars sounded the best--dynamic, never shrill or piercing. Solos aside, Neil's drums were just a tad undermixed--perhaps this was intentional as his drumming style can be so dominant. Overall, the sound level definitely got louder and louder as the concert progressed--several people remarked on it after the show.

Picture wise this was excellent, but with a definite bias towards blue overall. Flesh tones looked as natural as they can under the "limelight". I saw no evidence of edge enhancement or processing, this was probably just directly loaded from the HD cameras without much interference. Some of the longest shots (and the occasional "blimp" shot) were of slightly lesser picture quality, but this could have more to do with the slow build-up of smoke in the venue. The opening and end credits were of low quality and jagged edges were visible. The non-concert film clips were pretty much perfect, with some minor smearing during intentionally hokey special effects segments involving the time machine tranformations.

Overall, this was an exciting, involving show that had the theater crowd cheering along with the projected crowd. The sound started out iffy but steadily improved to very good. The picture is likely the best we have seen in a Rush concert so far.

CHANGE TO DOLBY SETTING -- RUSH POSTED THE FIX!! Anyway I was so excited when I received my TIME MACHINE DVD as I had something new of RUSH to run to on the treadmill .. I had previously worn out Snakes & Arrows, A Show of Hands & Exit STage Left.. I know what you are thinking what about R30 or RIO - Well to me the sound on RIO is awful - not RUSH but what recorded them and I know the story of how RUSH didnt get a chance to do a sound check - R30 - ALEX is in a bad mood most of the show, GEDDY tries to get him out of it - and he doesnt until Red Barchetta - so to get back to the point TIME MACHINE is an amazing gem from THE greatest band of our time. ALEX LIFESON is just ridiculously funny!! When I put the DVD on and started it up - the mini movie at the beginning - ALEX as Slobowich <sp>FARTED - OMG I almost fell off the treadmill laughing.. bruised my arm - but its all good... The Tom Sawyer cast video - RUSH is just too flipping funny - GEDDY spinning sticks, ALEX and NEIL goofing as the other.. too funny. It was also sweet to see GEDDY & ALEX flirt with girls in the audience and goof around with each other and NEIL- its just so cool to see that they are not just brilliant musicians and song writers but they really enjoy what they do and entertaining all of us... Yes I said Girls in the crowd - still to this day not sure why ALEX said RUSH has no female fans.. maybe as a challenge for us to come out of hiding.. Who knows.. All I do know that this is a fantastic DVD from the greatest band of our time.. you will NOT be disapointed..!!

I am mystified as to why the person who wrote the most "helpful critical review" had such a problem with the sound mix of the fantastic Blu-Ray. As Rush has progressed over the years when it comes to releasing their concert video's, they really started to hit the nail on the head when the released R30 a few years ago. Since then, every concert video to date...Beyond the lighted stage, Snakes and Arrows, and now "Time Machine" has been excellently produced, both in video and audio quality. The video especially is wonderfully done, showing different camera angles that I had never seen in a prior Rush video. The audio mix, is amazingly balanced, a lot of good punch on the low end from Geddy's bass and Neil's drum kit, and the high's of Alex's guitar soar through the video. I don't consider myself an audio file, but I play various instruments, so I feel that I have a pretty good ear. Maybe the prior reviewer doesn't have the greatest sound system, or maybe he has his settings off, but I couldn't really tell that there were any really noticeable audio adjustments throughout the video. For me, it was off the hook the entire concert and as of yet, I haven't found a pause in the video like I have seen in a lot of other productions. Compared to "Rush in Rio" this DVD blew that one away, as I stated before, that the band and their crew have really learned how to put together a wonderful concert video.

My biggest question is why Amazon is not releasing the Blu-Ray version until late December, when other store(s) have already put it on the market for sale. Unusual, since Amazon always seems to release titles along with their competition at the same time. So that makes me scratch my head a little. But I will continue to use Amazon, since I can find anything here that I need, and usually for quite a bit cheaper price.

In closing, this DVD is a MUST for any Rush fan or casual fan......it just blew me away!! And it is a nice memory for me, since I wsa fortunate to see them on the first leg of the "Time Machine Tour".

Thank you Rush for many years of great music and for documenting this amazing concert. You really out did yourselves this time. I can't even imagine how you could top this show. Everybody enjoy!!!!

Having been a fan of Rush since the early 80s, I've had the pleasure to see them multiple times live. As much as I enjoy any concert video of a group I like, I usually find those videos lacking. It never really feels like the concert, which of course, is simply the reality watching something opposed to actually being there. I saw Rush in Atlanta (really Alpharetta, GA) on the Time Machine tour, which was about 6 months before this show in Cleveland was filmed. After watching this Blu-Ray, let me tell you something friend, this is as close to being at the show as I think you can get. It's as much like being there as you can get, minus all the negatives. The picture is amazingly clear, even for Blu-Ray. (very glad I waited the extra time for the blu-ray release) I personally don't have a 7.1 or even a 5.1 sound but for regular old flat screen speakers it sounds really good (it even gets a bit loud at times). I believe the band kept the same set list through out the concert, as this was the same one I saw and read on the Rush web boards. Why Cleveland you may ask? It's a nod to the first US town to play Rush ("Working Man") back in the day. Care to guess the song the wraps up the encore?
As Moving Pictures is my favorite Rush album, this disc holds a special place in my heart. I had hoped to catch the band a second time as they came close again, but was unable to. Now, I feel like I can catch this magnificent show any time. If you are a Rush fan, you simply must have this disc. If you are a boarder line fan, I still recommend you picking it up. Oh, just a last note, as this seems to bother some people. The Moving Pictures album was released in early 1981, some 30+ years ago. Since the band members are the same, they have obviously grown 30 years older. Geddy can't quite hit the high notes that he could back then. He's not as bad as say Roger Daltry doing "Baba O'Reily", but you can tell. Just something obvious that apparently needs mentioning.
If I were to give one slight negativity, the special features are a bit slim. They exist (2 long lost songs), but that's about it. I hope that one day soon, we get a Rush concert that has multiple angle selections that would let you watch each individual band member. That being said, this is one fine blu-ray. If you've read this review and are on the fence, just do yourself a favor and pick it up.

I am a HUGE Rush fan and I loved this Blu-Ray. Some made issues with Geds voice;I do agree a bit. Presto sounds weirdly sang;though great they did it. Overall he holds his own. The music is what shines show is pretty much flawless;they never dissapoint..
Cant wait for next tour and album!! 8D

I didn't buy this when it came out. Normally on release day, I'm chomping at the bit but this time I was a little put off by the whole "how many times do I have to pay for Moving Pictures?" As more time went on, I kept reading reviews and youtube posts about how Geddy can't sing anymore and that the show was terrible. After watching, I have to disagree. I bought this because I wanted to support the band, and since no one buys the new albums anymore, this is the way they're staying in the game. I'm also a fan of Rush's sense of humor so their little skits are always worth the 17 bucks to me. I'm really happy I bought this. I watched the whole thing in one sitting and never did I get bored or think "dear god not this song again" I was smiling ear to ear as the boys got to jam out on parts and their usual stage antics. I thought the first set was great, and well put together. You can tell Rush has some heavy enthusiasm for the new material as BU2B was upbeat, and aggressive. Neil was playing on top of the beat and a little faster than the recorded version. Marathon was a little too fast, and to me seemed to have lost it's groove, but some impressive open handed playing by Neil in the second verse. The second set is what it is. Moving Pictures and some gems. I was disappointed to hear the new arrangement for The Camera Eye. Killer version of Witch Hunt, Alex just owns that song. Great rendition of Caravan. I'm giving this 4 stars because the audio could have been a hell of alot better. The use of surround is subtle at best and the biggest use was hearing the audience behind me. That's pretty weak. It's also compressed a bit too much. Geddy's bass can be a bit tame at times. To all the critics out there who say Geddy can't hit the high notes anymore, or even worse, can't sing anymore, I have this to say. Geddy Lee sounds amazing on the newer songs, and songs with mid to lower registers. He also nailed the high notes in freewill and alot of other songs. Faithless was flawless. The guy can sing and his voice has matured very nicely over the years. That being said, He doesn't sound like he did 30 years ago. No one over the age of 50 sounds like they did when they were 30. If you want to hear that, then please go put on the original recording or Exit Stage Left and stop complaining about the impossible. The guy is on tour for 6 to 8 months out of the year, has to sing challenging songs for 3 hours, so he has to pick his battles. I can't even say he blew the notes, he just sings it different with a "live feel" The songs that suffered the most were songs I've heard a thousand times anyway. You go to a Rush show, or buy their concert DVD because you want to watch these guys entertain you, not to hear the album versions. This concert rocked my socks off when I expected it not to. They have fun, can play their asses off, great versions of the tunes, and show love for their fans. A great experience live or on disc.

I love the potential of blu-ray to offer high resolution audio and fill the void left by dvd-a and sacd. Unfortunately, that hasn't materialized. However, the live concert "movie" is an excellent opportunity to see and hear what blu-ray audio could be. So far I have not found many discs that wow, but the Time Machine concert is certainly one of them. It's not as tight or as "clean" as say Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scotts (which is maybe the best on blu so far) or as sonorous as David Gilmour's Remember that Night but it's Rush and it Rocks. Video is generally excellent, but I buy these for the audio and this disc doesn't disappoint. The sound is clear, the bass is strong and Geddy's voice is not buried nor is it out in front of the music. My only complaint is there is a bit more audience noise than I'd like. This is a live concert and that is to be expected and for the most part they do a great job of suppressing the audience during the music, but this was recorded in a huge venue so there is the occasional yell or whistle that makes it's way to front (no where near as bad as Rush in Rio). If you are a fan of Rush and have a system that can take advantage of the DTS HD Master Audio then you should pick this up and then crank it up. You might also want to check out the blu-ray release of Moving Pictures which is outstanding.

It was with mixed feelings that I awaited the delivery of my Blu-Ray of Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland. I had purchased the CD/MP3's from Napster the day it came out and was a bit underwhelmed. Geddy's vocals were a bit lacking and I thought that age had begun to caught up with him. I thought the CD was a fine momento for those who actually went to the show and little more. I had seen this show at the end of the first leg, and I thought the performance in West Palm Beach was better than what I was listening to on my I-pod.

I gave that CD three stars basically saying that those who wanted a souvenir of the tour, it was worth the cash, but on it's own merits, there was better live versions of most of the songs out there. I still stand by that review. Many others as well reviewed the CD similarly so I know I'm not alone in that thought.

My Blu-Ray arrived a week later. Ok, I thought, you know what it sounds like, but at least you'll like the visuals. My expectations were definitely lowered.

I was blown away. Don't get me wrong, this is the exact same tracks that are on the CD's. There are a few seconds of dialog missing from the CD and the CD is broken up between Limelight and Camera Eye, whereas the Blu-ray keeps the intermission intact. I certainly can hear some of the same weaknesses that I heard on the CD. Time Stand Still has some cringe inducing moments. But for some reason, maybe it's the DTS surround mix, Maybe it's watching them play as well as listening to the content, but for whatever reason, Geddy's vocal weaknesses are not as apparant in the Blu-Ray as they are in the CD.

I am not an audiophile by any means, so I can't really critique the "mix" or any other aspects others here may be able to critique more effectively.

As a Rush fan, I simply love this Blu-Ray. I have both Rush in Rio and Snakes and Arrows Live on DVD. Rush in Rio is a great concert video but the camera shots are too short and don't seem to linger on the band long enough and seem almost random in their cut aways. Snakes and Arrows Live is a much better show. It's looks and sounds much better, though the crowd in Holland can't compare to 40,000 brazillians, however the Snakes and Arrows Setlist is not one of my favorites. The Time Machine tour show is simply amazing. The concert is filmed brilliantly and the shots are logically situated, focusing on a band member at the appropriate time. Whether it's Neil doing a fill-in, Alex doing a solo on the Mandolin, or Geddy performing a bridge on the synth, the camera tracks whatever band member is dominant at the time.

Overall, his Blu-Ray provides a completely different experience than the CD. I'll continue to listen to the CD as it is a portable version of this fine show. But as far as an over all experience this Blu-Ray just blows the CD and most other Rush Concerts I've seen filmed out of the water. So much so, that I barely notice that Geddy is not at his prime vocally. Musically, the band here is in top form.

If you went to this show then you'll want to pick up both the CD and the Blu-Ray/DVD as you'll want a portable version of this show to listen to in the concert, or while working out, or wherever you are.

However if you only want to buy one version of this show, then this Blu-Ray is the only way to go. It is amazing. And finally, if you already purchased the CD and were somehow disappointed, then I suggest you buy the video. It's hard to figure out but it's on a magnitude better than than the audio only version. Someone tell me I'm wrong. I just can't believe that I'm listening to the same performance. And yet there it is, the Blu-Ray/DVD blows the CD out of the water and I have no idea why.

A definite must have!!!!