Shine A Light almost like being there
-
-
- April
- 5
-
Until today, I’ve never watched a concert movie I really liked. The screen never seems to quite duplicate the experience of seeing a great show in person. That bass thump that shakes your chest, the feeling of community with the other people in the crowd, the joy of hearing one of your favorite songs and jumping out of your seat in excitement; how can a camera capture that?
It can’t, of course. But Martin Scorsese comes as close as you can with Shine A Light.
The king of the gangster genre, Scorsese also is an unabashed rock fan who has used many classics in the soundtracks of his movies. Shine A Light shows The Rolling Stones in all their glory. It is a celebration of the greatest band ever, more a tribute than a documentary.
The Stones look every second of their ages. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are 64, Ronnie Wood is 60 and Charlie Watts 66. Scorsese and his talented cinematographers capture every wrinkle with cameras placed at assorted angles at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan during a two-show stand in 2006.
But you forget that Mick and Keith are as old as your parents when you see them tear up Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Shattered to start the show. Mick’s energy and athleticism are astonishing, he never stops dancing or playing to the crowd. And while no man his age should wear eyeliner, Keith’s sheer joy in playing the guitar comes through the screen, as does his affection for Wood and devilish personality. Watts, the coolest cat in the room, provides the foundation.
The best scenes are the guest spots. Jack White comes out for Loving Cup. Then the great blues guitarist Buddy Guy makes an appearance for Champagne and Reefer followed by a sexy Christina Aguilera for Live With Me.
I’m a marginal fan of Aguilera, but she has a great voice and holds her own with Jagger on the stage.
The concert is mixed with archival footage of the Stones being interviewed during the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. There are also a few scenes of the band members hanging with Bill Clinton before the show.
I never quite jumped out of my seat. But I wanted to. If you tap your steering wheel like a drum and sing along when Brown Sugar comes on the radio, go see Shine A Light. Plus how often can you see a Scorsese flick when nobody gets shot in the head?
This entry was posted
on Saturday, April 5th, 2008 at 12:43 am by Peter Abraham.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Awesome Review Pete – I am stoked to see this at the local IMAX next week.
If you liked this, you should see The Last Waltz. The best concert film I’ve ever seen.
Agree with Eric. I can’t wait to see Shine A Light, but is it really better than Scorsese’s The Last Waltz or Demme’s Stop Making Sense?
For me, those are the concert films all others are judged against. And the Neil Young movie from a year or two ago, Heart Of Gold (also by Jonathon Demme) is great as well.
What do you mean nobody got shot in this one? What a ripoff.
Sounds like a decent flick, Pete.
I was always more of a Beatles fan than a Stones fan growing up, but I appreciated them more when I started playing in cover bands. Stones tunes are always fun to play and get butts shaking out on the dance floor. Mick is…well, he’s Mick. Keith and Ron have held their own for decades in a genre full of flashy lead players by being nothing short of some of the best rhythm players to ever strap on guitars. Ask most guitarists and they’ll tell you that it’s a grossly underappreciated art.
I’m a huge Buddy Guy fan, so his appearance will help put me over the top to see this.
Question, Pete – what did you think of the quality of the archived footage? Was it “special” or just filler?
I’m with Eric S on this – Scorsese nailed the “concert movie” when he did The Last Waltz. I didn’t know much about The Band before I saw it and it was great. The interviews are as good as the songs.
Scorsese IS a Rock Star.
I haven’t seen it yet, but I did see the U2 3D concert movie which was recorded in Argentina. The 3D wasn’t necessary, but it was well done. Good play list, and the sound and camera work was great.
I have to agree regarding The Last Waltz. The Band was a terrific band and the menu of guests that sat in during that filming was incredible. Clapton, Dylan, and Van Morrison are favorites of mine, so I enjoyed their participation a bunch. Then you had Dr. John and Neil Young and so many others. Wow.
A couple of years ago, a bunch of local musicians here did a benefit in which they recreated The Last Waltz from opening to closing notes, and it was awesome. These musicians were the cream of the crop in this area – some that I had played with, and the others were guys that I went to support regularly during their own local heydays. They even had Ed McClanahan (look him up if you need to) on stage reading excerpts of writing from he and Ken Kesey (among others) in between sets. I looked at a friend of mine during the show and said exactly what I felt about the original concert film as well – “This is like being in church.”
you know what almost spoils the last waltz for me? van morrison’s dancing.
i’ll see shine a light as soon as it’s released in my neck of the woods. thanks for the review, pete.
kennedy and hawkins! yikes!
Hopefully Scorsese will now direct that kung fu movie that Jose Canseco wants to star in. It will make film history..
Kind of like certain Yankee games, “You can’t always get what you want”.
“The Greatest Band Ever”?
You cannot *possibly* be serious.
I never thought I’d live so long that I look better than Mick Jagger but I do.
The Shine A Light soundtrack is pretty good; one of the better ones of their live sets.
Speaking of rock movies, haven’t seen it recently, but I remember liking U2’s “Rattle and Hum” a lot and have heard great things about the new U23D in Imax.
So who is ready for Andy to shut down that AAA team we are playing and for the offense to put up 15 runs ??? Who’s with me ????
The best one I`ve seen was the Song Remains the Same by Led Zeppelin. I think the reason that one is so great is that, well, I think Led Zeppelin HAS to be one of the top 3 bands of all-time (Pink Floyd and either the Who or the Stone would probably be the others), and also its not totally just a concert. I might check this one out though.
You cannot *possibly* be serious.
The Stone have to be pretty darn close at least. Who`s better? And please don’t say the Beatles, they were more of a pop band than a rock band (though at times they could be as heavy as anyone)
Sorry Pete but the Beatles are the greatest band ever.
People still go to see the Stones for nostalgia’s sake.
Jagger has no business dancing around in a belly shirt like he’s 30 again, it just makes for a good appointment with the porcelain god.
Beatles are #1, Stones a close second, but it’s all a matter of preference.
The Last Waltz is the best, but you should also check out The Concert for George — done a year to the day of George Harrison’s passing. Tremendous lineup, every song is a winner. Probably the weakest link is Tom Petty’s version of Taxman, which beats having Neil Diamond on stage.
I haven’t seen the movie, and I won’t, but I have no plausible reason to disparage those who enjoy it. By now, a director like Scorsese cane make the Rolling Stones out to be a significant part of the trans-Atlantic culture, at least for the time you sit transfixed in a theater.
But on a personal note, I’m with Joe Strummer of The Clash, who sang in 1977 when he was part of a movement away from old stuff: “No Elvis, Beatles, or the Rolling Stones.”
The recent Who dvd, “Amazing Journey†is pretty damned good, too, ss was “The Kids Are All Right.”
And Joe Strummer is dead, sad to say.
Great review! I love the Stones, the Boss(Springsteen),and the Yankkes. What a great blog. The Stones might be the greatest band ever on longevity alone. Go Yankees and Thanks!!
Sounds good. Scorsese and the Stones, nice combo.
Recently I saw the U2 3D movie, and let me tell you that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. You haven’t seen 3D until you’ve seen this thing. I think it’s still playing.
great review, thanx.
Excellent review, Pete, I was jumping out of my seat!
I firmly believe that the Stones passed the Beatles due to their work in the 70s and early 80s (with great extra song sprinkled on later in their career, like “Love is Strong”, “Almost Hear You Sigh”, “Continental Drift”, “Saint of Me” and “This Place is Empty”).
But for the sake of discussion, I can live with saying the Beatles are the greatest Pop Band ever and the Stones are the greatest Rock band ever.
I re-watched “The Last Waltz” on HDnet a few months ago and it reminded me how great it was. I first watched it year ago on a submarine patrol after it first came out. We must have watched it 6 times that patrol. I had never listened to “The Band” before but I became a fan of their music afterward.
I have always been a big Stones fan and can’t wait to see this movie! Thanks Pete for the review.
Pete,
How great was that Buggy Guy appearance? One of my favorite parts was when Keith gave him his guitar in defeat and Guy didn’t want to take it but Keith was adamant. Gotta love how he has never lost the edge. And Ronnie on the pedal steel!
PS meant to say Buddy Guy. Not Buggy.
PS meant to say Buddy Guy, not Buggy.