The ultimate rhythm and blues tribute band, The Rolling Stones, prove geriatric White rockers can still do it and, in the process, continue their work of popularizing the mix of blues and jazz to a receptive, predominantly White audience. Because they aren't Black, The Stones deliver the musical goods to an audience that would be less likely to idolize Black performers for playing exactly the same music; playing it better because it's part of their culture. The Stones love the emotional affect of their music but do not understand from first hand experience the causes of it. For that they would have to be both Black and American. The fact that at one point Mick Jagger calls his audience 'Crackerheads' reveals that he is quite aware of this racial aspect both to their musical choices – appropriated from another culture since White cultural forms lack the necessary urban grit – and to the audience itself; comprised of Whites. Their essentially ersatz quality is why Blacks don't think much of The Rolling Stones.
However, having said that, The Stones very much admire the other culture's music that they implicitly champion in it being rather obvious that they love it through the sheer bravura of their performances. This, despite the fact that they no longer need the money and are no longer hungry for success and fame. They give today's younger performers a good run for their money and Jagger, in particular, is the consummate performer who refuses to bow out gracefully. All this leaves the question: Why aren't pop performers today this good?
Director Martin Scorsese does well to avoid the clichés of performance documentaries, since he has experience of such things, and the style is brisk, focused and to the point with songs interleaved with archive interviews of the band in their heyday.
Copyright © 2009 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
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