I’m a mild Rolling Stones fan, I’ve got a Greatest Hits CD, love several of their songs (‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ being their best), but overall am more of a Beatles fan, or more correctly, I’m more of a Creedence Clearwater Revival fan. But I’m certainly enough of a Stones fan to enjoy this 2008 Martin Scorsese (“Mean Streets”, “Goodfellas”, “The Last Waltz”) concert/doco, even though its documentary aspects (mostly old B&W footage) are rather dull (and add nothing!), and the scenes in which Scorsese himself appears, do not present the filmmaker in the best light. The usually likeable Scorsese comes across like a meddling pr*ck who demands to see a set list! I know he needs to set things up and all, but geez, did he want to fill in for Charlie on drums too? If you thought Dr. Phil was annoying and invasive in Metallica’s “Some Kind of Monster”, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

However, and it’s a ginormous however, the concert itself is awesome (filmed at a venue in New York over two nights for a Bill Clinton-hosted benefit event), mostly thanks to Scorsese’s brilliant filmmaking. This is quite simply the closest thing you’ll ever get to actually being at a concert, without actually being at a concert, and I can only imagine what it would’ve looked like and sounded like in a movie theatre. I mean, I saw it on TV and it was still amazing- what does that tell you? I literally felt like I was in the front row at a concert and Mick was staring right at me at times throughout the film. It was almost like a 3D film but without the annoying (and usually defective) glasses.

Wow, what stage presence these guys (still) have! They all look like they’re about a hundred (Charlie Watts has looked positively cadaverous for a couple of decades now!), and ravaged by drugs and excess, but they sure don’t move like it! They also look like they’re having a blast, Keith Richards especially, who has never seemed cooler to me than he does here, as he sings- yes, sings!- ‘You Got the Silver’, and does a rather good job of it, too. Scorsese’s 16 cameras (or more precisely, the army of 10 renowned cinematographers Scorsese employs, including Robert Richardson) capture little quirks, idiosyncrasies and asides between the band members (and not just Mick and Keith, Wood is seen as remarkably relaxed here, and Watts is his usual droll self) that would not have been possible in any other concert film. Hell, these guys actually look like they kinda like each other- how many bands of their vintage could still say that? How many bands of their vintage (around 40 years give or take) are still going strong? They seem to enjoy each other’s company, and whilst indulging in a few obscure tracks (The music here is more blues oriented than pop rock, but that’s fine by me!), they don’t have their heads so far up their own ar*es that they don’t appreciate the audience or defiantly refuse to play most of the well-known hits like some bands might.

The one drawback (aside from no ‘Gimme Shelter’ or ‘Paint it Black’ on the band’s occasionally obscure set-list, the latter makes it on the DVD extras, the former not at all. Grrrr!) is that the concert footage unfortunately features an unnecessary and totally irritating guest appearance by pop tart Christina Aguilera, who tries to prove to us for the millionth time that she can SING!!!!! We get it Xtina, you’ve got a loud voice. Good for you, now go crawl under a rock, I’m trying to watch Mick and the boys! I know she’s somewhat talented and versatile (and so does she, which is mostly the problem!), but who thought she belonged on the same stage as the legendary Rolling Stones, anyway? It’s Scorsese (Who has been using Stones music in several of his films as far back as “Mean Streets”, so he is obviously a fan) pandering to the text-messaging iPod generation at its worst. Or maybe I just loathe everything about the slutty and obnoxious Xtina. But really, why didn’t he just throw Miley frigging Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers up on that stage? I shudder at the thought, actually. White Stripes front man Jack White is perhaps a bit better suited (he and Mick seem to share a fondness for a somewhat affected, nasal vocal intonation), but the big standout is legendary blues man Buddy Guy, who is absolutely a scene-stealer. That man, no more a spring chicken than any of the Stones, sure can play the electric twanger! He single-handedly elevates the already impressive film to a further level yet.

Yes, this is mostly just a concert film, but it might just be the greatest concert film I’ve ever seen! If you can’t get no satisfaction (groan!) out of this concert film, you had better check your pulse, ‘coz it doesn’t get much better than this. A great band, great songs, a talented and intelligent filmmaker...it all adds up to 100% entertainment. If you only see one concert movie in your lifetime, this is the one to see. Yeah, that’s right “Woodstock” (Featuring my all-time favourite song by Joe Cocker, plus fine appearances by Jimi Hendrix and...um, yeah just those two really, Joan Baez maybe...) I said it, now whatcha gonna do about it, chump?

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups