Shine a Light

This film is a brilliant documentary/concert depicting the Rolling Stones as still one of the most enduring popular music acts. The great thing about this film, besides being another fantastic effort from Martin Scorsese, probably the best music-documentary filmmaker of all time (he should have done the Chuck Berry 60th birthday gig)is that the viewer feels that they are part of the film and on stage with the Stones! This well constructed film follows the Stones, who are on tour, to a charity concert in New York. It's in an intimate theater setting which was specially designed for this movie. Not at all like some of the previous Stones concerts at Stadium venues!

The photography and sound are first rate. Guitarists will love the close-ups of Keith and Ronnie, as well as the selection of guitars (telecasters, Gibsons, a Guild and others) that Richards uses. The song selection is superb and well recorded and while the film is a documentary it is full of personal touches regarding the making of the film, old interview footage, conversations and even a few problems.

My only criticism of this film is that they didn't get Bill Wyman to return for it as a retrospective and that they didn't include at least some historical footage of Brian Jones - who really founded this band and got the Blues going in England. Ok, you can't have everything.

The band is truly amazing. The Stones modernized their sound by augmenting their live shows with horns, background vocals and even strings. However, a highlight are the vocals of the lovely Lisa Fischer, who won a well-deserved Grammy in about 1991 and they disappeared, because of many problems - some business- only to reappear with the Stones. She also sang with Tina Turner.

There of course have been a lot of reviews of this film as you would expect, so I won't go through the entire set list. I feel the three best tunes in this film are (1) "Just My Imagination" - I have always respected Mick Jagger as vocalist who would do covers of the great soul artists. He did early versions of Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke and Otis Redding tunes (that takes GUTS). In the late 1960s the Stones did a cover of the Temptations "My Girl", after it had already been a number one tune. Wow! It was not that good. This tune, a later hit by the Temps, is just brilliant. A great arrangement, tasteful solo by Keith, and a great overall rock-soul feel. This is the best tune in the set.

(2) "Champagne and Reefer," with Buddy Guy is also fantastic. Buddy plays in tune (great) and the song is really dedicated to Muddy Waters who originally recorded it. Buddy was a longtime session man at Chess Records in Chicago and played for years with Muddy. I also liked Mick's blues harp in this tune, it recalls the first two Stones' LPs when he did some of the first Blues harmonica heard by white kids in America on tunes like "Little By Little" and "I'm A King Bee".

(3) The third best tune, I feel, is the Brian Jones influence in this concert. It is "Paint It Black". This is the best of the bonus tunes and shows the Stones great writing ability. They pegged this tune in the late 1960s with the "Flower Power" days and of course, Brian, the multi-instrumentalist, learned to play sitar better than George Harrison did. Anyway this tune still sounds fantastic today!

This is a must have DVD for all Scorsese, Stones, Rock or Blues or Film fans. Great price, great production, good history and a personal feel that we always get from Martin's films. This will be a classic in years to come.

Never a dull moment with this video, which is not surprising considering who made it. Loved seeing the filmaker throughout, and enjoyed the backstage moments. It's a keeper all right.

The DVD was shipped promly and arrived seven days before it was supposed too. It was packaged properly and it was in excellent codition. I would definitely buy another product from Amazon.

This film begins with a farcical look at preparations for the upcoming Beacon Theatre show in New York but once the Stones storm the stage it's all about the music. From the opening notes of Jumping Jack Flash it's clear this music is in their blood. Whether it's Ronny's machine gunning the audience with the neck of his guitar. Or, the anger in Mick's face when he burst on stage ripping into Jumping Jack Flash, everything about this band says "let's go!"
While it's mostly lesser known '70's era songs, there are the '60's classics as well. Sadly, the most recent release is '83's "She was Hot", with Ms. Lisa Fischer and Mick gyrating wildly to this song. It's much better live.
The three cameos are good. Jack White is adequate. But it's Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera stealing the show. During Guy's cameo, "Champagne and Reefer", we see Keith and Buddy's duelling guitar act. Then, Ronnie on third guitar and Mick on harmonica, all four legends standing in a circle, toe to toe tearing the house down. Ms. Aguilera surprisingly belts out the duet on "Live with Me" that should make any queen of soul proud.
The Beacon Theatres' intimacy is magnified during "Far Away Eyes", when Keith botches the lyrics and a fan ribs him. He laughs back "Shut up". Fans should watch for several instances of clever reworking of some lyrics. The preacher in Far Away Eyes now asks for twenty dollars, up from ten. Inflation I guess.
Martin Scorese's best known rock documentary is "The Last Waltz". It was the final performance of Dylan's former touring band, "The Band" in 1976. His latest foray into rock documentaries is a resounding success. He does a wonderful job interweaving obscure ancient clips of interviews and performances of the Stones, bringing perspective to their amazing longevity.
The last song of the encore is "Satisfaction". Near the end it sounds as if Charlie is about to lift the song onto a new level and continue to rock on, but it turns out to be a classy way to end a classic. Satisfaction indeed.

... but geez, they're looking OLD. Mick Jagger was born the same year I was, and he has ten times the energy I do, but I have to say their act is getting a bit tired. As others have noted, this is an "oldies" concert, with nary a new song in the mix. Mick's duets with Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera add a bit of freshness, and Keith Richards' uncanny resemblance to Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp reportedly based his character on Richards) is entertaining as well. A fun time overall.

one notably good movie I've seen lately, on Blu-ray. Martin Scorsese's "Shine a Light" filming of some live Rolling Stones concerts is not only great, good music, but one of the best examples of the possibilities of HD 1080p TV and Blu-ray. Mick Jagger (and Ron Wood) look like gargoyles. Mick is amazingly thin and spry for some one who is 65 years old, if memory serves, and bounces all over the stage, like he did in his twenties . Keith Richards looks like a zombie undead superannuated version of Captain Jack Sparrow. Charlie Watts, who must be nearly 70, looks the youngest of the lot. Guest Christine Aguilera and sings and jumps around in the highest pair of spike heeled boots I've ever seen a woman be able to stand on - must be 6-7 inch heels? While she looks sweet, she shrieks the lyrics. The music in the film, despite the guests, is better better when Jagger sings alone.

Intercut in this is parts of a mid `60's interview with Jagger and the Stones, like Scorsese used in his definitive Dylan documentary "No Direction Home"!

Buddy Guy helps Mick sing the Muddy Waters anti-cocaine blues song "Champagne and Reefer". Unfortunately, Guy shots the lyrics, overload the mike and makes the anti-cocaine unintelligible.

The music is, of course, quite good, loud and the Blu-Ray sound will test the limits of your sound system.

But the most amazing thing is the video effects, the huge array of high intensity lights and strobe lights which Scorsese shoots off repeatedly and uses to backlight and then solarize Mick Jagger to a complete white.
This is what Blu-Ray can do!

If you have Blu-ray and HD, this is really a demonstration DVD!

This is a really amazing & breathtaking video footage DVD. Must see, must have! Let it rock!

"Can you picture yourself doing this at the age of 60?"

"Yeah, sure."

I thought that was the neatest line in this concert-documentary when Mick Jagger gave an honest and prophetic answer to that question, some 30 or more years ago (maybe closer to 40!). We see that short interview here on this concert DVD.

Not only Mick but Keith Richard, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood just keep going and going and going. Anyway, this film is 95 percent concert and five percent talk, so those who think this is a documentary are going to be disappointed. The talk includes old interviews and an opening segment with the director trying to work with the group which, as we see, isn't easy. For those who want more documentary material, check out the 16-minute featurette which comes with the DVD. There is some great material on that, reflections by a few of the guys, some nice acoustic guitar work and a better chance to see what they guys are like in rehearsal.

As far as this concert - held at the Beacon Theater in New York City - goes, it's about average for the Stones. The 2003 concerts at NYC's Madison Square Garden and the earlier ones in London, Berlin, Turin, and other places around the world seem more dynamic than this one, because of the bigger stage and audience. At the smaller venue of the Beacon, we couldn't enjoy the big props, neon scoreboards, the boys walking down the long aisle for a small set in the middle of the crowd, Mick prancing down long sides of the stage, etc. The prancing and all that is still here but it's in a confined area, almost claustrophobic at times.

It was fun here and there to see old clips of the band being interviewed when they were only in their second and third years of touring. You get an idea of the inane questions reporters have probably asked the rock group a thousand times over. The Stones, especially drummer Charlie Watts, don't exactly sound like Rhodes scholars, either! Watts seems out of place, too, but - being the family man he is - that's always been the case. Everyone loves Charlie, though, and respects him - maybe because he is different from the rest.

I thought I would prefer to hear new material instead of the same old/same old, but as it turned out, this two-hour concert was best in the last 40 minutes when the band did the familiar upbeat songs. The concert seemed to come to life with "Sympathy For The Devil" and four or five other old-time favorites. Earlier, the electricity was missing on a bunch of the numbers that you don't usually hear. Maybe this would have had a much higher impact on me had I seen it in an IMAX theater, instead of a TV on a small screen.

There were sparks flying, however, when the three guests sang and played with the group. Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguliera all brought life to the concert. Being a blues fan, I liked Guy's number best.One of the strangest moments - and maybe the most revealing - was the closeup shot of drummer Charlie Watts yawning after one number and looking very tired and bored. Hey, after all these years....he's entitled but it gave us a quick reminder just how old these guys are (mid '60s). I don't think director Martin Scorcese, whose slick cinematography in his films is fun to watch, did these guys a favor, in that regard. He makes them all look and sound as old as they really are and, hey, that's not the Stones. They jump around like 20-year-olds. They'll go on forever, right?

My problem with this is in both the performance and the filming. I can understand that The Stones have played some of these songs to death, But when they just slop through the parts, ignoring the original precision of how they put they notes together to create such great songs, its just disappointing. If you hear a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony where the musicians just having fun "estimating" the original written parts, it would suck. As much as I hate to say it, I'd rather listen a sound-alike Stones copy band who still respects the original music play these songs than the Stones themselves.
And the audience? Where the long hair freaks? Is this really the Stones audience? A bunch of hot young girls and stock broker types in the front rows? I guess they either got invited by Scorsese because they'd look good on film or were rich enough to get tickets from the scalpers
Watch the Altamont perfommance or RnR Circus, C***Sucker Blues to see these tired old impostors when they were THE STONES!!!...and an audience that was into the music, not into looking cool,
But that said they'es still pretty good. Unfortunately they have their own legend to live up to and that's probably impossible to achieve.
Keith did seem like he was trying on "You Got The Silver" and "Connection"

As a long time Rolling Stones fan, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit (watched it three times in a week). It's not as personal or insightful as Scorsese's "Last Waltz" was for The Band back in the 70's, but it is a good glimpse at the Rolling Stones today, in the twilight of their very long and impressive career. The music is interspersed with some old television footage, mildly personal glimpses behind the scenes, and a few interviews with the performers. It's all beautifully shot and edited by Scorsese and his team. There are also a few great musical numbers here, like Buddy Guy playing "Champagne and Reefer" with the band, a killer version of "Tumbling Dice", and Keith Richard's charming "You Got the Silver" (even if he does look like an old bag lady). I highly recommend this for Rolling Stones fans everywhere.

My favorite parts of this film were Scorsese's work, the early archival footage and interviews (and Buddy Guy's appearance). The performance itself was somewhat lacking compared to their earlier work. Now I have to say I'm a tad jaded, having seen them perform half a dozen times from their Sticky Fingers tour, to as recently as 15 years ago. and, much as I hate to say it, their age is showing; the energy just wasn't there and I felt on several occasions that they'd done a certain song too many times and couldn't find the impetus to innovate or throw too much feeling into it.

While tempted to comment on varying performance by individual members, I'll just keep that to myself.
In brief it's a well produced documentary of a great band which has seen better days (which is not to say they can't evolve- they've done so many times before)...it's just that this wasn't one of those times.

I'd guess this would be enjoyed most by people who had not seen them perform before- but then, there's better footage out there.

As Faulkner would say "they endure".

This much-anticipated movie is good, but not great. It is too short, has too few extras, and the performances by Jack White and Christina Aguilera are not up to snuff. Only the blistering performance by Buddy Guy gives this DVD the punch it needs all the way through.
As concert footage goes, the pictures are sharp and clear and creative, as one would expect from Martin S, but one is left thinking it could have been so much better. I was fortunate enough to see the Stones during the Bigger Bang tour and the film does not begin to capture the raw energy of their live show---perhaps because this film was shot in the Beacon Theater in front of a small, obviously wealthy and pampered crowd rather than the blue-collar folks who made the Stones what they are.
As John Lennon once said---those of you in the cheap seats, feel free to applaud, and those in the front, feel free to rattle your jewelry.
This show does not capture the sheer joy of a Stones concert because it is so atypical of a Stones concert. The Stones played better in front of a million in Rio than in front of a few hundred in the Beacon.

I bought this at amazon and i like it. i watched it on a flat screen hdtv.
it would go over really good a huge screen. the high point is live with me duet with Christina Aguilera. i have been going to stones shows since 1975. the only drawback, and it is my own fault is not having surround sound cause coming out of the tv speakers the sound does not do justice to the stage show.

i am glad i bought it, you will be too

my love Norman and I watched this on DVD last night.
I was captivated! I loved it madly.

the direction was super, as we assumed it would be with Martin S at the helm. the little clips of history, interviews, and live performances. fabo! even meeting Bill Clinton (that was a suprise!) all fun. would have liked it they had cut to see if Hillary was rocking out during a good song, but, nope.

Mick Jagger - over 60 years old - wow - he still has it! OK, his face is pretty old and not pretty, but his body - mmmmmm - I wouldn't kick him outa bed. face it - he is SEXY! when his little black T-shirt would raise up and you could see his flat tummy, I just wanted to pat it. and all his moves - my gosh - what a work out. he is darn sexy and active for his age.

seeing the band, up close and personal, I kept saying to Norman - wow - they all have all their HAIR! and a lot of hair.

Ron looked good. 'ol Charlie looked good. Keith Richards, still can play guitar. wow - he is one ugly dude. I loved how he'd spit out his cig when done, cracked me up. the back up singers and sax players all great.

the song with Jack White - Keith playing acoustic - wow - I could cry, so lovely. and Jack - what a hottie!


the song with Buddy Guy - OH MY GOSH - that was sooooooo GOOD! I got chills. that was wicked cool.

Christina Aguilera singing with Mick - amazing. sexy. cool.

I was so into it, I started yelling at the TV - "play Satisfaction!" and, "they have GOT to play Satisfaction before it's over!" and so on.

I'm going to buy the DVD. love it. thanks, gramma Sally

After having known Scorsese's earlier work like "Last Waltz" and recently "No Direction Home - Bob Dylan", I expected "Shine a light" to be of a similar standard. But it's mostly damp squib with the entire movie being about just one concert (all songs shown are played fully) with very few titbits from backstage and fewer clips from Stones' earlier years. This is not a documentary on the Rolling Stones but rather an extended dvd of one concert. Nothing really stands out here. All in all very avoidable. Hugely disappointing as earlier works like "The Last Waltz" and "No Direction Home" are like collectibles that can be watched several times over the years with their timeless quality..."Shine a Light" is nowhere near that..one watch and you can toss it in the bin...oh well...

The sound quality here is unacceptable. The picture looked great. But the concert was very predictible. And the performances were not very inspiring. I watched Gimme Shelter the day before watching this and it was much more exciting. To shoot Shine a Light, they had the lights turned up really high and lots of security at The Beacon.

But at Altamont, it was dark and crazy and there didn't seem to be any security. People were all over the stage, at one point a dog walks across in front of Mick. At Altamont, the band was sounding great. Anything could happen at Altamont.

It's nice that nobody was killed during the filming of Shine a Light. But all the IMAX cameras in the world couldn't make this performance fun to watch. And like I said, the sound quality on the Blu-Ray disk was really bad. They could have at least put high-quality sound on the disk.

My husband and I are long time Stones fans. We saw this movie on IMAX - AMAZING! You gotta' own it - They've still got it after all these years, but we wished they would have had some mention of Bill Wyman.

Hi - just got my copy from Amazon - should there be a booklet included with the disc? My copy did not have one and it appears that the package was not sealed so I'm wondering if I should return it...Thanks in advance!

Scorcese and the Stones are both titans in their vocations. With this stature comes a natural creative tension, humorously played up in the start of the film as Scorcese begs for a set list and the Stones mischeviously hold out on him. The show itself is very good, but we have all seen Stones films before.

The biggest, baddest band of all time can still crank out the energy and volume, but it is in the quiet moments that Scorcese's efforts really pay off. He sprinkles in old interview footage that is ironic, funny and insightful, particularly in the present day follow-up. I have been a Stones fan for a long time and the film only enhanced my belief that these guys are really talented and very smart, often toying with all of us as they do their thing.

Do not miss the extra footage: Great footage of the soundcheck; despite the reputation, these guys are consumate professionals who really love their work. Scorcese requested Factory Girl, which did not make the movie, but Ronnie, Keith and Mick jam on it with no one around. Funny and real exchanges with the band and Buddy Guy and Bill Clinton. Keith quietly noodling on stage, pleased to be doing what he loves to do; eyes closed, picking away. Now that is something I could watch all day.

An awesome demo of what's possible with Blu-ray. Looks and sounds wonderful. Scorsese did an amazing job too.

awesome, mind blowing, unbelievable. If anyone rates it under 5 stars, s/he's insane.
Watched it on the theatre, got the soundtrack and now the dvd as well. They all rock.

Buy it!
it's only rock n roll!!!!

When I saw Shine A Light in IMAX, Mick and Keith were 3 stories high and it wasn't enough. I had to go back and see it twice. This is the best rockn'roll film of the Greatest Rockn'roll band in the World. If they can't rock you, nobody can.

First off, I am a world class Stones fan. I am also a Scorsese fan. I don't see what this great director added to the Stones legacy. There are plenty of Rolling Stones concerts from the last twenty years on DVD. The last two tours were heavily documented by the Stones themselves. This production is nothing special. I think some of the concerts filmed by the Stones are better. The only thing to sell this particular product with is the inclusion of songs not previously on DVD, such as Tears Go By and She Was Hot. Jack White's duet was not particularly good. Christina Aguilera's was better, and Buddy Guy was probably the best of the star turns. But this is not riveting stuff. The fans need a more historical documentary, since 25X5 has never been issued on DVD. There has to be a ton of interesting footage from Brian Jones onward. Go ask Bill Wyman, he's probably got the motherlode squirreled away. As for 'Shine A Light', I don't get it. What did Martin Scorsese add?

The disc played in my Samsung Blu Ray player with great difficulty. At 11:19 it kept locking up, so I had to skip those chapters in order to see the concert. The menu caused my player, a Samsung with all the latest firmware upgrades, to lock up. Chapter selection was unavailable as were the extras. Why did they even ship this knowing full well it would not function with Blu Ray players- see other reviews about this as well. I am not the only one having problems with the bluray version.

Well into his 60's, Mick remains a true rockstar... an immensely talented and amazingly athletic explosion of raw energy. In a polished performance (re-lived countless times over nearly half a century) the Stones still look like they're having fun. The beat is solid, the songs are tight and these old men make it look easy. Watch it and enjoy it. It can't last --time catches up with us all.

I have been a Rolling Stones fan since the 60's when I first bought and wore out my "45" of 'Honky Tonk Women'. Being a musician, it's hard not to criticize the playing of Keith now, as it seems he is playing when and whatever he "feels" live, but who am I to say anything negative about a guy in his mid 60's who still rocks as good as anyone!....and that goes for all the original members!

The boys are having a grand old time and Mick's energy is amazing, even though some of the lyrics seem rushed, but once again.... who can say anything to a man who has sang the same songs thousands of times! While the band is solid, I do miss Bill Wyman's unique bass playing and Jack White's vocals on his duet with Mick are embarrassing! Buddy Guy's "sit in" seems natural and is very good and although Christine Aguilera can sing, she has no business being on stage with these guys! Watts is great as usual and he keeps the band in sync.

I probably would have liked this set even more if I didn't have so many other DVD's from the same time period to compare it to. First off, there is nothing really new inthis film, that wasn't done as well or better in 'Biggest Bang' or 'Four Flicks' DVD sets except a few welcome rarely done songs. The sound quality is excellent, but the mix is horrendous! Buried guitars one minute and then a big crunch from the decrepit finger's of Keith slugging along his guitar neck! Even with it's flaws, I completely enjoyed watching this film, as it shows one of the most important rock bands of all time still doing their thing the way they choose to do it!

Rock on boys!
"It's just that demon life has got you in it's sway!"