Review: Stones and Scorsese Shine A Light
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
I had a chance to catch a preview screening of the new Rolling Stones film “Shine A Light” last night, directed by the one and only Martin Scorsese. I’m a pretty big Stones fan too be sure (I did a 17 hour line-up to see the band at the Phoenix back in 2005) and I was looking forward to seeing the band back on the IMAX screen (their 1990 Urban Jungle tour was featured in 1991’s AT THE MAX). I was also a little suspect as to how good the band would perform for this particular gig at New York’s initmate Beacon Theatre. While the club show I saw in 2005 was spectacular, the subsequent stops I witness on the Bigger Bang tour were just ok, with the Ottawa show being sub-par, likely the worst time I’ve even seen the Stones perform.
The beginning of the film is intriguing, as director Scorsese tries to co-ordinate set-ups and set-lists with Mick Jagger. It gives you just a bit more context to what it was actually like putting the movie together, rather than a straighforward concert film a la “Let’s Spend The Night Together”. But once the concert portion gets going, it’s virtually non-stop music, with an occasional blast from the past interview segment.
As for the performances, I’d say “Shine A Light” is as close to capturing the Stones in the 21st century as you can get. From my experiences, it takes the band a few songs to really find their groove, and in the film there’s no exception. “Jumpin Jack Flash” and “Shattered” are a little sloppy and slow, but by third song “She Was Hot” the band starts to really cook. It’s great watching and hearing the interplay between Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards. The guitar “weaving” that the guys have mastered after 30+ years of playing together is something special.
A few highlights - Charlie Watts’ sigh at the end of “Shattered”; Mick and Keith sharing the mic on “Faraway Eyes”; Keith’s own vocals on “You Got The Silver”. Over the last few years Keith has spent more time scat-singing, so it’s a real treat to hear him belt it out like he means it. Buddy Guy and Jack White make guests appearances, along with Christina Aquilera, who stands toe to toe with Mick during ”Live With Me”. Speaking of which, Jagger really is the definitive rock frontman, even into his 60’s. He’s a ball of energy that can’t be contained, and he puts his all into the performance.
As a music guy the only thing that really bothered me during “Shine A Light” was a trait that occasionaly comes up in concert films. If the camera is focusing on Ronnie Wood playing a solo for instance, his guitar immediately comes up front in the mix, but once the focus is elsewhere the guitar dissapears too. Maybe it’s just me, but I found that a little distracting and made me wish for a better music mix.
At the end of the film, which closed with one of the better versions of “Satisfaction” I’ve heard from the Rolling Stones, all I was thinking was “do you think they’ll do it again?”. If Mick, Keith, Charlie, and Ronnie can continue to deliver like they do in “Shine A Light”, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Take a listen to the version of “Live With Me” from the flick and then enter this bonus code: LIVEWITHME