Shine A Light

To fully hammer home the dramatic impact of the world's best group playing on a screen taller than 5 double-decker buses stacked one on top of each other, Martin Scorsese, a lifelong Stone fan who conceived and documented the film, decides to precede the concert footage with an 11 minute introduction that takes place on about a 6th of the full IMAX screen. After that short black and white intro: bam: Jagger and co are out on stage in all their 60 foot tall glory, blaring out Jumping Jack Flash on a digital sound system that is just stunning.

Jagger works a crowd better than anyone and the wow factor of the energy he brings to the stage is never diluted, no matter how many times you've seen it. You see it on the reaction shots of those in the front rows - helpless grinning, everyone in awe of a showman who basically careers over every inch of the stage like a complete nutter. That infectiousness transcends from the Beacon theatre in New York to the IMAX in London and, whilst nothing can quite match seeing them live, this was very very close to the real thing.

The old standards sounded great but it was a couple of the lesser known tracks (at least I hadn't been aware of them) that were amongst the most satisfying. Everyone in the band seemed to enjoy playing She Was Hot - Jagger's interaction with the backing singers was brilliant. Watts, Richards and Wood all kill it - it's I think the 3rd track in but it played like the last encore; they leave everything out there and it is quite brilliant. Other highlights included Jagger's duet with Jack White on Loving Cup and a terrific Faraway Eyes which sees Wood enjoying playing a pedal steel (no I hadn't a clue what one was either) and Richards and Jagger delivering lyrics with comic flair.

I don't know enough about music or even the Stones to compare this to other tours, other eras or other bands. What I do know is that I spent so long smiling, my jaw ached; people in the theatre were enjoying it so much they were giving their own secret rounds of applause after each song; and that I have an urge to see them play again right now.

Scorsese is quite clearly a huge fan who has used their music in many of his films as background music or even in place of a traditional score, as he did with his frequent use of Gimme Shelter in The Departed (sadly they didn't have that great song on their setlist here). What he's achieved here is a captivating look at an amazing band on one amazing night. Songs are interspersed with archive footage, carefully selected for insight or comic value. He and his team must have pored over hundreds of hours of news items and interviews to get what they wanted. Scorsese has cut together a brilliant film that is essential for any Stones fan, and highly recommended for everyone else. The last shot with which Scorsese closes the film is quite brilliant too.

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