Put a bunch of greying old men together and you probably wouldn’t expect them to do much.

Unless they’re The Rolling Stones, 2nd in line behind The Beatles in the Top 1000 Artists of all Time, according to acclaimedmusic.net.

Starring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood, Shine A Light is a concert documentary directed by Martin Scorsese displaying The Rolling Stones at their absolute best – old from age, but living their lives to the fullest.

Simply Electrifying

Put together with live footage from their A Bigger Bang Tourin 2006 is accompanied periodically with videos of interviews they have done in the past, which can be mildly amusing at times. The documentary is also well complemented with surprise appearances by talented and accomplished artists, such as Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera.

The show begins with footage from past interviews when the band just started out. A flustered Martin Scorsese is seen fussing over the set lists for the shows, and a very aloof Mick Jagger answering his questions. The show at New York City’s Beacon Theatre begins with a greet session with former US president Bill Clinton and family. After Bill Clinton opens for the band, The Rolling Stones takes over the stage in flair, with the track “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”

With their sheer energy on stage, it’s hard to believe these 4 men are grandfathers. Mick Jagger, the lead singer, can be summarised in one word – electrifying. The 65-year-old leaps, bounces, and jiggles all over the stage in a manner that screams, “I am the world’s greatest rockstar and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.”

Belting out some of their greatest hits like “As Tears Go By”, “Brown Sugar”, “Sympathy For The Devil” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” one after another, the band’s energy is simply unstoppable. Don’t be surprised if you feel an intense urge to get up from the cinema seat and jump along to the music as the show goes on.

A Star-studded Performance

Jack White takes the stage with Jagger in the song “Loving Cup”, which failed to impress as the harmony between Jagger’s rough vocals and White’s “cleaner” sound came off as a little odd. Buddy Guy also makes a guest appearance with a cover of Muddy Water’s “Champagne and Reefer”. The collaboration resulted in a soulful, explosive number that definitely gave the audience 100% satisfaction.

The surprise of the show however, was when Christina Aguilera took the stage to perform “Live With Me” alongside Jagger, a fast paced and powerful number. Aguilera’s formidable vocals blend in surprisingly well with the entire Rock and Roll setting, almost as if she is one of the band members herself.

‘Sympathy For The Devil’ is obviously a crowd favourite. As Mick Jagger enters the stage singing the iconic repetitive “Woo woo…” lyrics of the song, and the audience in the concert immediately takes the cue to join in the chorus. Throughout the entire song, the audience are still heard echoing the lines, displaying The Rolling Stone’s impressive presence.

It’s obvious that Charlie Watts is not as flashy compared to his bandmates. Decked in a simple t-shirt and trousers, he doesn’t dye his hair and is often seen rolling his eyes in disbelief at his bandmates’ antics whenever the camera focuses on his face. After being coaxed by Mick Jagger, he finally utters a greeting to the crowd, to which Jagger comments, “He speaks!”

Even though he’s the quiet one on stage, he’s responsible for delivering the beat, which is the backbone of their music. However, whenever the band plays a song, the central focus is either on Jagger or Richards, which is a mild disappointment, as Watts seems to be out of the picture entirely.

Verdict

All in all, Shine A Light is a rock documentary that will definitely please fans but might be quite stale to audiences who are not familiar with their music. When asked how long does he think this success will carry on, you cannot help but laugh when a young, fresh-faced Mick Jagger replies bluntly, “Well we’ve been doing this music thing for 2 years now and we never thought we would last this long, but I can see us doing it for maybe another year.”

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Details

Opens: June 12

Movie Rating: M18

Running Time: 123 mins

Language: English

Cast: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts

Director: Martin Scorsese