deep said:
I am always afraid to see what time has done to the heroes of my youth
I really didn't know if I wanted to see it or not. I haven't been into The Stones in a long time and the last time I saw one of their HBO concerts a few years ago, it left me a bit depressed.
But I did go see it yesterday and I'm glad I did. Like someone else said, I was expecting a real documentary but it was in fact pretty much a concert film, with very little backstage footage and a bit of historical footage thrown in. For the first 15 minutes, I thought man, they look old, and the music is really tired. But it just kept getting better and better. I laughed a lot, and when I wasn't laughing (just because Mick Jagger is funny without trying to be), I was smiling. I realized, I love these guys to death.
Keith Richards just seems like the happiest man with a guitar that ever lived and his soulfulness came through in every scene. Ronnie Wood didn't get enough screen time as far I was concerned but got more towards the halfway point on and he was a joy as well and looks great.
Though the film seemed to want to belong to Jagger, his performance as always seemed cold to me. Contrasted with Richards' pure soulful spontaneous joy, it really struck me that Jagger seems to have little emotional connection to the music; he's just like a dancing/performance
machine. And yet, I sat there just completely amazed by his seemingly infinite energy. He just never let up, and in fact, seemed to get more and more energized as the show went on. So I found there was a lot there to be amazed by, but little to
feel when it comes to Mick Jagger. A lot to respect, less to love, if that makes sense. It was Richards, Woods, and Watts (who really does seem a bit fragile when he's not behind the drums) that warmed my heart.
And I loved Buddy Guy, Jack White, and yes, even Christina Aguilera. The girl can SING.
So you will definitely see what time has done to your heroes, up close and in your face, but I say pay your respects anyway. I felt sad and moved and nostalgic all at once. There was something wonderful about seeing these guys still doing what they do, loving what they do, just being themselves, looking like hell but sounding great, and still bringing the damn house down. It helped enormously that the venue was so intimate.
And yes, martha, the young blonds down front were annoying. Shame on Scorcese if he did that.
Best line of the movie: "We cannot burn up Mick Jagger." - Martin Scorcese . You'll have to see it for the context.
I also loved just "being" in the Beacon Theatre again, so to speak. I've seen probably 50 or more shows there and it remains my favorite place to see a show though it's been a long time since I've been there. But as I watched the film I had a little trip down memory lane, remembering shows I saw there like The Replacements, Roy Orbison, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bryan Ferry, Sinead O'Connor, B.B. King, and on and on.