Stones Again

They're the ranking white blues band of all time. They have arguably the #1 or #2 song catalog of any band or artist, and they're still minting them. They may age but they don't get fat. They are the longest continuously running rock and roll band in history.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you've ever fallen in love with the Rolling Stones for any stretch of time, you owe it to yourself to run out to your nearest IMAX theater playing Shine a Light:



Scorsese with a load of the best Cinematographers in the business, eye opening names like Robert Elswit who just won the Oscar for There Will Be Blood and John Toll who's won two -- and these are just the camera operators.

Here's the set list. Lots of other snippets of Stones tunes in some of the interstitial flashbacks to earlier in the Stones' long careers. Opening with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is brilliant, the moment when Mick and Keith took the band away from Brian Jones (not really seen in doc) and forged their signature ragged blues-meets-hard-rock sound. Second song is "Shattered" which is their gift to NYC. "All Down the Line" a highlight, along with guest appearances by Jack White, Buddy Guy (great, great version of Muddy Waters' "Champagne and Reefer") and Christina Aguilera.

Besides being in unparalleled shape for a 63 year-old (when the movie was shot), Jagger seduces everyone in sight, with equally unparalleled expertise and command. He gets Buddy Guy to twangs a call-and-response to his harmonica playing. He dirty dances convincingly with Aguilera. The front of the audience is clearly programmed with young women, all of whom are reaching out to him for the entire show, except when snapping mobile pix. Jack White comes on already horny for Mick, glowing and pumped to be sharing a mic. Mick even seems to seduce Keith -- brilliant guitar and vocal duo on "As Tears Go By".

Nice to see those boys all grown up -- 44 years and counting: