Early in the picture, there's the greatest exchange between director Martin Scorsese and one of his engineers. Talking about the precautions needed with the stage lighting and how hot it might get:
Scorsese - "You mean like flames?" Engineer - "He (referring to Mick Jagger) might catch on fire". Scorsese - "We can't do that".
I don't know what I got a bigger kick out of, that conversation, or the sight of Bill Clinton getting a hug from Keith Richards. You have to admit, that was pretty bizarre. Now don't take this the wrong way, I've been a Rolling Stones fan right from the get go, but seeing them up close and personal the way they appeared in this concert film, is about the closest you'll ever get to seeing a band of corpses performing live. Sort of on the order of the Crypt Keeper in 'Tales From The Crypt'. Except for Charlie Watts maybe, he looks pretty much like a regular old man. And again, I'm not making fun, just taking liberty considering the fact that I'm not much younger than any of the Stones.
But man, that Jagger has energy to spare, and he can pound it out with the best of them. Kind of makes you want to get up out of a comfortable sofa and kick out the jams along with the boys. Every rock number that Mick belts out is raw energy, and when you figure that in forty plus years of performing they must have played "Satisfaction" a few thousand times, it's a blast to hear it like it was fresh and new. I particularly liked the way they mixed their set with a take on a Motown favorite, "Just My Imagination", along with a great bluesy presentation of "Champagne and Reefer" accompanied by the legendary Buddy Guy. It was also cool to hear Jagger reach way back to the early days for a stab at an acoustic version of "As Tears Go By".
I was taken aback somewhat the first time an interview clip from the Sixties popped into the picture; hard to imagine that the Stones were ever that impossibly young. Responding to a question about the band's prospects after their first two years of touring, I think you'd have to score Mick's answer as the understatement of the rock era - "I think we're pretty well set up for at least another year".
And what keeps Keith Richards going? - "My luck hasn't run out yet".
I've never seen The Stones live in concert, but "Shine A Light" is a pretty reasonable substitute. There's no shortage of old favorites and long time fans will know and appreciate every tune. Kind of makes you wish that each performance will set them up for at least another year.
Scorsese - "You mean like flames?" Engineer - "He (referring to Mick Jagger) might catch on fire". Scorsese - "We can't do that".
I don't know what I got a bigger kick out of, that conversation, or the sight of Bill Clinton getting a hug from Keith Richards. You have to admit, that was pretty bizarre. Now don't take this the wrong way, I've been a Rolling Stones fan right from the get go, but seeing them up close and personal the way they appeared in this concert film, is about the closest you'll ever get to seeing a band of corpses performing live. Sort of on the order of the Crypt Keeper in 'Tales From The Crypt'. Except for Charlie Watts maybe, he looks pretty much like a regular old man. And again, I'm not making fun, just taking liberty considering the fact that I'm not much younger than any of the Stones.
But man, that Jagger has energy to spare, and he can pound it out with the best of them. Kind of makes you want to get up out of a comfortable sofa and kick out the jams along with the boys. Every rock number that Mick belts out is raw energy, and when you figure that in forty plus years of performing they must have played "Satisfaction" a few thousand times, it's a blast to hear it like it was fresh and new. I particularly liked the way they mixed their set with a take on a Motown favorite, "Just My Imagination", along with a great bluesy presentation of "Champagne and Reefer" accompanied by the legendary Buddy Guy. It was also cool to hear Jagger reach way back to the early days for a stab at an acoustic version of "As Tears Go By".
I was taken aback somewhat the first time an interview clip from the Sixties popped into the picture; hard to imagine that the Stones were ever that impossibly young. Responding to a question about the band's prospects after their first two years of touring, I think you'd have to score Mick's answer as the understatement of the rock era - "I think we're pretty well set up for at least another year".
And what keeps Keith Richards going? - "My luck hasn't run out yet".
I've never seen The Stones live in concert, but "Shine A Light" is a pretty reasonable substitute. There's no shortage of old favorites and long time fans will know and appreciate every tune. Kind of makes you wish that each performance will set them up for at least another year.