MOG

Caught “Shine a Light” the other night. It’s the latest concert documentary to feature what remains of the former “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” – the Rolling Stones. Drawn from two rather intimate shows at New York City’s Beacon Theater during the ex-British Invasion icons’ recent tour to promote their umpteenth album A Bigger Bang, the film was directed by no less than Academy Award-winner (and longtime Stones fan) Martin Scorsese.

The MOG intelligentsia recently spent a couple of threads kicking around the current inflated state of ticket prices for live shows. One of the observations was that pay-per-view broadcasts or concert films featuring the superstars or the hot-acts-of-the-moment might become more prevalent - or serve as lower-cost alternatives to seeing performances in person. “U2 3D” – an immensely satisfying and visceral experience, especially when you consider its prerecorded status - was my suggested model or template for this sort of thing.

I went into the “Shine a Light” screening, having already seen “U2 3D” – for me, the new gold-standard for concert flicks. The Stones extravaganza clocks in at a little over two hours and was shot to be shown on the enormous IMAX screen. There’s no denying the technical prowess that Scorsese brought to the endeavor, and one must acknowledge the stunning amount of energy displayed by lead singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, and drummer Charlie Watts - the essential members of the band, all in their 60s and still getting it done. But it was a daunting experience to see these way-past-their-prime sexagenarians (pun not intended) hauling out the old tunes again for another money-grab.

Many of the songs that comprise the “Shine a Light” set list qualify as typical best-of-the Stones material - most were written and originally recorded during the band’s creative heyday, which ended in the late ‘70s. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Brown Sugar,” “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”…they’re justifiable classics. On the other hand, a few of the numbers in the film have rarely, if ever, been performed on tour.

I will admit that it was a treat to see Jagger delicately sing the chamber-pop ballad “As Tears Go By,” originally written in the mid-1960s as a single for his girlfriend at the time - Mod princess Marianne Faithfull. Keith’s surprisingly passionate solo turns on “You Got the Silver” and “Connection,” two other rarities in concert, were the most emotional, real moments in the program. And it was nice to see longtime sax-playing sideman Bobby Keys manning up on his classic “Brown Sugar” solo. Otherwise, guitarist-come-lately Ron Wood was serviceable, as were the rest of the hired hands, such as bass-player Darryl Jones (the replacement for missing-and-missed charter bassist Bill Wyman) and keyboardist Chuck Leavell.

The guest stars were a mixed bag: Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs was unremarkable as he sang with Jagger on “Loving Cup.” Buddy Guy’s signature blues guitar licks were more than welcome on a cover of Muddy Waters’ “Champagne and Reefer.” Christina Aguilera’s duet with Jagger on the raucous, randy rocker “Live with Me” was, amazingly, not an abomination, as she curtailed her usually excessive vocal gymnastics in the service of the number. But the twosome grinding on one another was a brutal Beauty and the Beast moment.

Truth be told, seeing Jagger and Richards and company close-up and blown up to gigantic IMAX size was more frightening than some horror films I’ve endured. The lines on Jagger’s face are so deep that a family of gypsies could be living in one of them - and no one would know. Imagine the Crypt Keeper (in a shag wig) and the Mummy (in quasi-pirate garb) fronting a Stones cover band. That’s how it seemed sometimes.

In an odd quirk, I saw the pungent dramedy “Irina Palm,” starring Ms. Faithfull, two days before watching “Shine a Light.” Over time, the sleek, chic and sexy ‘60s pin-up/breathy, disaffected chick singer of “As Tears Go By” had transformed herself into the wise, salty grand dame/rock chanteuse of the unflinchingly honest, synth-driven confessional “Broken English.” The movie features a pithy, vanity-free performance by Faithfull as a suburban grandma who agrees to masturbate men through a glory hole in a seedy London sex club to raise money for an operation that might save the life of her terminally-ill grandson.

Faithfull is seriously frumpy, undeniably aging, and painfully real on screen. By comparison, her former boyfriend - continuing to strut and preen as the leader/figurehead of the Stones – seems laughable.

For the fans and the curious, here’s the opening salvo from “Shine a Light,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”: