Yours truly was able to score press passes to the Martin Scorsese rockumentary Shine a Light. I responded to a radio contest and won. Believe that!?! I actually won a radio contest! But I shouldn't get too big a head; it was not for calling into the station, which I think is far more difficult. No, I simply filled out an information page on 97.1 f.m.'s website. But still, I won, and got to see the film before it opened to the general public. Not too shabby in my opinion.
The film chronicles two shows by the legendary Rolling Stones at the world famous Beacon Theater in New York City. The movie opens with all the discussions, negotiations and confusion one would associate with a live rock n' roll show. Cast, crew, performer and filmmaker all have objections on the size and layout of the stage. The always hand's on Mick Jagger is especially outspoken. There are also issues with lighting and camera placement as poor Scorsese fights to find out the music set list, while also making sure that the lighting scheme does not set the lead singer on fire. All in a day's work.
The Stones decided to play the concert in 2006 and donate proceeds to earth and global warming related causes at the request of Bill Clinton. The ex-president appears in the beginning minutes during a meet and greet with the band and 30 of Slick Willy's friends and supporters. Even Hillary Clinton's mom gets in on the action. Keith Richards, obviously tired from all the introductions, hugs and kisses, deadpans to the camera, "Clinton, I am kind of Bush'd!" which got a huge laugh from the IMAX audience.
Experiencing a film like this on the largest screen available to consumers gave off the impression that I was at a rock show. The film starts by showing the concert staging and preparations on just a portion of the IMAX screen and then, with the first chords of “Jumpin' Jack Flash,” the entire two-story screen became full of the Stones, their energy and their mighty stage presence. It was quite a feeling and a hell of an opening.
I have been a die-hard Stones fan since I was a kid, mostly because my father was a huge fan of the group. It's hard for me to think of the group's members as being older than my Dad. But they are. The Rolling Stones are icons and their image/philosophy is something that everyone can share in and embrace. The sounds and attitude of the group appeal to all generations and defy national borders. Everyone knows the first chords of “Satisfaction” even if they think Britney Spears was the first person to ever perform the song.
I can remember being a small kid and watching Live Aid in 1985 with my Dad and my brother. My Dad was in all his glory as Mick Jagger rocked out with the likes of Tina Turner and other notable artists for the benefit for Africa. I remember the event not for it's over the top performances or philanthropic efforts, but rather, it was the first time we recorded something from television on our newly acquired VCR. We still have the tapes too.
Dad would later leave my brother and me behind as he nabbed tickets to the “Steel Wheels” tour in 1989. We were not old enough to have appreciated it anyway so there are no hard feelings for having missed it. Now most people cannot justify $2-500 a ticket, which is often what a live Stones performance sells for these days. So for those individuals that are lifelong fans and will probably never cough up the big bucks to see them live, Shine a Light is a good chance to get a feel for what a live performance would feel like.
Shine a Light catches the band in every possible angle on stage. There are also interviews intermixed between the performances dating from the early days, when the Stones first arrived in America, to their international romps through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. We get to see how the band has grown, changed, matured and achieved legendary status.
By far one of the most memorable shots in the entire movie is when Jagger makes his way to the stage for "Sympathy for the Devil." The entire venue goes dark and then Mick bursts through an audience door in the back of the theater with a wave of red light behind him. He actually looks like the human form of Lucifer. There is also a long shot of Richards' back as he plays the guitar that is very memorable.
Over the years, my love, respect, and admiration for the group has skyrocketed. With respect to the Beatles, it the humble opinion of this blogger that the Rolling Stones are the greatest Rock 'n Roll band of all time. No one can touch them. For the sheer fact that they have so many #1 hits, albums and numerous accolades, it seems frivolous to even argue their presence in the top spot as music's greatest.
It should also be noted that they are still rocking hard. Their faces are more weathered, their hair is dyed, and they obviously employ a staff of nutritionists, personal trainers, chefs and other assistants to keep them looking great.
But the hard-edged guitar riffs, the emotion and the determination to continue to defy the odds are still there. Mick dances around the stage like a crazed chicken, fist pumping, with that famous swagger that has come to characterize his stage presence. He is still a sex symbol, even in his 60's, as evidenced by the young, beautiful women in the concert hall’s front row who stare up at him wantonly, with a suggestive look in their eyes.
There is a variety of music styles as well as cameos from present day and past musicians. Christina Aguilera, Buddy Guy and Jack White all make appearances singing and playing with the band. Guy's performance is the most memorable as he is able to show the esteemed, “Masters of Rock” that the American blues guitarist is still a force to be reckoned with. In his own way, he shows them up. At the end of the song, Richards takes his guitar off his shoulder and gives it to Guy as a remembrance of the performance.
When I first heard about a Martin Scorsese rockumentary on the Rolling Stones, I thought this would be the perfect pairing. Scorsese is considered one of the best filmmakers of all time and the Stones, well, I have already highlighted my esteem for them. Plus, Scorsese received notoriety for his other concert films, "The Last Waltz" and the Bob Dylan retrospective, "No Direction Home."
Scorsese is also acclaimed for the amazing soundtracks that go along with his movies. He chooses timeless, classic songs to convey the deep, and sometime troubled emotions of his characters. When we think of Raging Bull, we also think of Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo; Mean Streets, “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes, and of course “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon from The Color of Money.
One thing should be noted about this movie. Stones traditionalists might be a little disappointed by the song selection. The very issue that Scorsese was so concerned with before the group took the stage is the same topic that I have the greatest argument with. I was hoping to hear "Paint it Black," "Doo Doo Doo (Heart breaker)" or Monkey Man" and was disappointed when none of these songs were played. In fact, no Stones music that highlights their hard edge was played. It was all fun, happy, "get 'em out of their seats," songs. The Stones have a dark side and it wowed fans for decades. The fact that this side of their music is ignored is a gigantic letdown.
Probably the biggest travesty of the film is the omission of "Gimme Shelter," in my opinion, the quintessential Stones song. Now I understand that there is another rockumentary based entirely on this song and the untimely death and bizarre behavior that occurred when people heard it in 1969 at the disastrous Altamont Free Concert. That's another classic movie, not only for the great performances, but also for its ability to take the viewer backstage, and deep inside the necessary dealings and bargaining that go into concert promotion, production and preparation.
The song "Gimme Shelter" is a favorite of Scorsese's. He has used it in three of his most popular gangster films, The Departed, Casino, and Goodfellas. Each time the song was used over moving pictures and in trailers was to accentuate the severity of organized crime, the high stakes that are involved, and the dire consequences that result. The song somehow matches the danger and severity of these ruthless individuals.
The song and those films send a chill down my spine, particularly because of Richards' opening guitar intro and the background singer shouting "It's just a shout away...it's just a kiss away." The song has almost become synonymous with all things Scorsese so that's why it seems strange, and I feel a bit cheated, that the Rolling Stones were appearing in a Martin Scorsese movie and decided to leave that number out. For shame.
All in all, the film is very entertaining and the final shot is one of the more memorable and satisfactory images to walk away with. I imagine that people will talk about seeing Shine a Light in theaters the way my parents' generation recalls experiencing The King and I or my own generation can think back to being blown away by Terminator 2: Judgment Day when it hit theaters.
It should be seen on the big screen or the IMAX but you may want to purchase it on DVD when it goes to video, but only if one of the extras is a long version of "Gimme Shelter!" Cheers to the Rolling Stones, the world’s consummate Rock ‘N Roll band, and the American filmmaker, who helped immortalize them.
