As part of the 32rd Hong Kong International Film Festival I went along to see the new Martin (Martie to his mates) Scorsese film documentary featuring Mick and boys - The Rolling Stones. What an incredible afternoon I had. I attached myself to the orderly queue which had formed outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST in Hong Kong speak) and filed in around 12.30pm to take my seat. The movie was fantastic and so much more than a dvd of a concert or a music video featuring the band. It was incredibly detailed in that all the band were featured for suitably long lengths of time, enough time to really look at each one and notice just how much he had aged, how wrinkled he actually is and amaze at the fact that they all have their own hair and probably teeth. I have seen The Stones and they were great but I was so far away (right at the back of the Harbour Fest Venue) it was impossible to really see them for who they are. Shine a Light puts everything straight. It is possible to notice every minute feature from the injection scars on Keith Richards arms to the slight bald patch on the back of Charlie Watt's head or for the more discerning musos out there, just exactly which tabs Rocking Ronnie uses. They are all SO thin. It is utterly fascinating from a people watching point of view.
Essentially it is a one off concert played in a New York theatre to a select bunch of their friends (who include the Clinton family) and a hand picked front row of gorgeous young girls to keep it interesting. The songs are interspersed by old footage of the boys when they were young and foolish when tiresome reporters continued to ask them "How long do you think you will be playing music?" Of course this is now hilarious as no one back in the 60s thought they would even by alive in 2008 never mind still performing rock and roll with more energy, coolness and style than most 20 year olds. Now that they are 60 it seems so much more impressive that they are still massively successful, exciting and - dare I say it - sexy! Obviously they take glucosamine sulphate and will probably live forever.
I was thrilled and excited as they performed. I wanted to get up and dance, clap, cheer and generally get hot and sweaty - just like a real gig. It was especially good to see guest artists come on stage to join them, Jack White, Christina Aguilera and the coolest blues guitarist on the planet Buddy Guy (what a dude). The majority of the audience, being Chinese, were sedate and apart from a polite round of applause at the end they remained silent. I can't help wondering, if I had seen it in London or New York would it have been a different experience altogether?
Go and see it and tell me about the audience reaction.
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