Rolling Stones: The Biggest Bang

Capturing the Rolling Stones on tour in support of 2005's A Bigger Bang, this four-disc collection (highlighting gigs in five countries) concentrates on songs from their storied past. Aside from veteran members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ron Wood, additional musicians fill in on bass, keys, horns, and backing vocals. On the first disc, offering a full concert in Austin, TX, Jagger discloses that it's the “first time for us in your fair city,” which seems hard to believe, but just goes to show that the ultimate road warriors still have a few surprises up their collective sleeves. While raucous numbers like “Jumpin' Jack Flash” dominate the 18-song set, the Stones slow the pace down to recognize Lone Star legends such as Buddy Holly (“Learning the Game,” for which Richards provides wobbly vocals). The extra players are a mixed bag: adding brawn to “Ain't Too Proud to Beg,” but burying “Tumblin' Dice” in a morass of noise (sometimes less is more). The second disc features the Stones' free concert in Rio, where they perform 17 songs (including “Start Me Up,” “Wild Horses,” and “Happy,” none of which appear in the Austin show) before an estimated 1.5 million people, while the third presents a sampling of songs played in the remaining regions, specifically Japan, Argentina, and China. Although the set lists aren't identical, viewers will still witness plenty of overlap, including three roughly equal versions of “Satisfaction,” making this release of greater interest to collectors than anyone else. Presented in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include the hour-plus tour documentary “Salt of the Earth,” a jazz interpretation of “Miss You,” and duets with Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder, and Cui Jian (plus interviews with all of the participants). A stripped-down Blu-ray single-disc version is also available with the full Austin concert, tour doc, bonus featurette, and three extra songs. Recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)