While seeing the Rolling Stones live is a hard ticket to come by, seeing them in a two-hour concert film will probably prove to be a little easier. However, possessing a total running time of just over two-hours, long past the 'concert-film' thresh hold of many viewers, Shine a Light fails to captivate its audience as they turn what could have been an amazing music event into a snooze-fest worth skipping.
In the fall of 2006, the Rolling Stones gave two separate concerts at the Beacon Theatre in New York. There, in the Broadway theatre that seats almost 2,800 avid fans, the Stones performed some of their biggest hits. In the crowd are former President and President hopeful Bill and Hilary Clinton as well as action star Bruce Willis. But to the Stones, they are all fans, all standing out in the audience awaiting the energy and enthusiasm that has kept the band's name and image alive for so long. The show includes guest appearances by the irresistible Christina Aguilera and blues legends Buddy Guy and Jack White. But with or without them, the Stone rock it out in style, leaving the audience wanting more than they can offer.
Known to many as the best band in the history of music, the Rolling Stones are a force to be reckoned with. Performing high energy concerts over the last few decades, the band has garnered a reputation for their stage shows, making a ticket to their show the second hardest ticket to get ever, right behind the adorable and often considered overrated teen star Hannah Montana. And so with that kind of resume, a live concert film directed by a guy like Martin Scorsese seemed like a no brainer. But for reasons that were easily avoidable, the film disappointed, miserably.
My first major criticism about the film is its length. Many live concerts last about two hours, which includes a twenty or thirty minute intermission between acts. This film, showing only the Rolling Stones, is just over two hours, an eternity in the music profession. And while I know that many could sit and listen to the Rolling Stones for hours on end, the truth of the matter is that many of us cannot. Once you start teetering on that hour twenty to hour thirty line, you begin to test viewer's tolerance levels, and unfortunately for this film, it lost out.
I mean, take for instance one of my favorite artists Taylor Swift. Sure I can listen to her album all the way through, maybe a few songs twice, but sooner or later I decide to take a break from her music and switch my iPod to something else with a different sound. It isn't because I don't like her anymore, it is simply because I have grown immune to the sounds of her music and need to change what I am hearing to stay awake. The same goes for the Rolling Stones, shocking I know. They are great, and their list of tracks was anything but disappointing; however, they just played too long. It is only a matter of time before you start starring at your watch awaiting the final song, and when it takes forever to come, the film's effectiveness continues to go downhill.
Now on to the good part, the guest appearances. Anytime you can share a stage with the tycoon of live performers Mick Jagger, you know that you are in for a ride, and I have to say that Christina Aguilera, Buddy Guy and Jack White rise to the occasion and perform at their best. However, I have to say that I was more impressed that each was able to bring their own unique style to the stage than their actual performances. Successfully fusing both sounds and styles, The Rolling Stones gave audience members a rare occasion as all the acts worked within themselves, never outshining the others and making for some great 'changes' to an otherwise standard concert.
In the end the film wasn't horrible and will probably be enjoyed by the die-hard fans; however, it fails to generate a new fan base and ultimately falls short of appealing to the average music fan as it runs too long and doesn't possess enough variety to either captivate or enthrall.
