I have to wonder if it’s more than just a coincidence that in the same week that the website for Martin Scorsese’s documentary/concert film on the Rolling Stones Shine A Light goes live that rumors begin circulating that the current tour the band is on may well be their last. This wouldn’t be the first time that Scorsese has given a band its cinematic farewell. His 1978 film The Last Waltz captured the final performance of The Band in such a way that it transcends being just a simple concert film.
The trailer for Shine A Light (below) shows that the Stones are probably as energetic as they have ever been (with the exception of drummer Charlie Watts who looks as catatonic as ever), even if they their age definitely shows on their faces.
But what’s more interesting about the trailer is the glimpsesof what is going on behind the scenes. Scorsese looks at times bemused and at other times annoyed with what appears to be a lack of coperation he is getting from the band’s organization. “Can we kind of know, if at all possible, what they’re going to play?” he asks at one point. This certainly hints at a film about the backstage goings-on could be as at least interesting, if not possibly moreso, than a film that just captures the Stones in a smaller, more intimate venue than they are used to playing.
