Shine a Light

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".

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

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.

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...