Shine a Light

Director Martin Scorsese proves to be quite entertaining, seen here at his wit's end trying to get a handle on the changeable beast that is a Rolling Stones concert. Filmed in a small New York City theater in 2006, the show (actually, two performances, with the best parts cut together) was a benefit concert hosted by birthday boy Bill Clinton, whose family—including the former president's mother-in-law—meets Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ron Wood in a rather sweet scene before the music starts. The Stones are—in a word—fantastic, leaning less heavily on the official canon, instead drawing on their 1970s material from Exile On Main Street ("Shine a Light," "Loving Cup," "All Down the Line") and Some Girls ("Faraway Eyes," "Just My Imagination," "Some Girls"). Jack White, Christina Aguilera, and Buddy Guy turn up for terrific collaborations, but the Stones themselves are the true incendiary masters, captured here in an intimate space. Highlights include Jagger's sexy call-and-response on "She Was Hot" with backup singer Lisa Fischer, and Richards' expansive solo on "Connection." Scorsese, a master at this sort of thing, uses multiple cameras and some of the best cinematographers in the business to cover the concert from every conceivable angle, bringing viewers as close as possible to the inside world of the Stones. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include four bonus performances—“Undercover of the Night,” “Paint It Black,” “Little T & A,” and “I'm Free” (17 min. total)—as well as a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, and trailers. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for an excellent concert doc.] (T. Keogh)