The original bad boys of British rock are in fine fettle in this generous 22-song concert filmed (not in widescreen, unfortunately) in 1998 in Bremen, Germany, during the band’s tour in support of 1997’s Bridges to Babylon (one of their worst albums, although thankfully only five cuts are performed here). This is one of the best Stones line-ups of all time, with Mick Jagger (mostly vocals, some guitar), Keith Richards (mostly guitar, some vocals), Ronnie Wood (guitar), and Charlie Watts (drums) backed by Darryl Jones on bass, Chuck Leavell on keyboards, the late and great Bobby Keys on sax, Blondie Chaplin on percussion, and Lisa Fischer on backup vocals. The setlist features plenty of hits, kicking off with the group’s signature "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" and also including "Jumpin’ Jack Flash," "Honky Tonk Women," "Paint It Black," "Miss You" (with Jagger, ahem, licking Fischer’s toes), "Start Me Up," "Tumbling Dice," "Gimme Shelter," "Sympathy for the Devil," and "Brown Sugar." This is classic Stones, with the band totally in their element cranking out beloved tunes and introducing the now de riguer B-stage breakout mini-set. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include bonus tracks from a Chicago performance and two audio CDs capturing the entire concert. Recommended. (R. Pitman)
The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Babylon
(1998) 150 min. DVD: $24.99 (audio CDs included), Blu-ray: $29.99 (audio CDs included). Eagle Rock Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 34, Issue 5
The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Babylon
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