7 months ago 05th Apr 13:13
It’s 1972 and a fresh-faced Mick Jagger is asked by dubious-sounding TV interviewer Dick Cavett whether he can see himself rocking on until he has reached the ripe old age of 60. "Yeah, easily," the now 64-year-old Knight of the Realm shoots back immediately, without even stopping to think.
At the time some may have attributed the then 29-year-old showman’s unshakeable certainty to that feeling of invincibility which often comes with youth. Anyone lucky enough to witness the ease with which he continues to writhe lithely around on stage with The Rolling Stones to this day, however, can attest that he was merely speaking the truth.
Thanks to legendary New York filmmaker Martin Scorsese, those unable to get their hands on a coveted ticket to see the Stones live in action can now get the privilege for the price of a cinema ticket. And make no mistake _ it is a privilege. A long-time fan and contemporary of the band, 65-year-old Scorsese was so compelled by their mesmerising stage dynamic he decided he had to catch it on screen.
He did so over two nights at New York’s Beacon Theatre in 2006 as they performed charity benefit concerts infront of an intimate crowd of 2,800 people to mark former US president Bill Clinton's 60th birthday.
Explaining his symbiotic relationship with the band, Scorsese enthused: "The sound of their music, the chords, the vocals, the entire feel inspired me greatly and became a basis for most of the work I've done in my movies, going from 'Mean Streets' to 'Raging Bull', 'Goodfellas' and 'Casino'. The nature of the music is timeless, for me."
Indeed, in terms of attracting live audiences the ageing stars are at the very height of their powers a full 56 years after Mick, irascible guitarist Keith Richards and drummer Charlie Watts first played together, joined then by founding member Brian Jones on guitar, bassist Bill Wyman and pianist Ian Stewart.
From August 2005 until August 2007 the familiar line-up of Keith, Mick, Charlie and guitarist Ronnie Wood _ who joined the band in 1975 _ pulled in so many punters during their globe-trotting ‘A Bigger Bang Tour’ they raked in a staggering $558 million. But what Scorsese proves without any shadow of a doubt is that the four men, all in their 60s, are not just cashing in on former glories. Anyone who has seen them in action recently would defy the world’s current crop of rock star pretenders to match their stage presence with such kinetic energy.
Granted, Charlie may now resemble a country gent, with Keith bearing a sallowed, intricately lined face which can’t help but bring to mind his famously debauched lifestyle and fabled battle with heroin addiction (which saw him seek treatment in the US in the late 70s), but their swagger and presence remains largely in tact. Most notable for his stagecraft, of course, is Mick. Keith recently described him as "incredibly vain", a barb which hits home with laser-like accuracy after you see him strutting across the boards of the Beacon Theatre to the sound of opening number ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’.
Dressed in skinny jeans and a tight-fitting black t-shirt his famously large lips hurl out the lyrics with a series of so many pouts you could be forgiven for wondering if he practices them in front of the mirror.
Wiggling his hips and bounding across the stage, t-shirt riding up to reveal his ridiculously flat stomach, following this 64-year-old around the stage must have been one of Scorsese’s toughest tasks. And as intercut footage of the preparations show, Mick didn’t exactly make it easy for him.
Having shot the last ever performance of rock group The Band for his concert movie ‘The Last Waltz’ in 1978 _ a show which included guest performances from Ronnie and Keith _ Scorsese is no stranger to shooting rock groups in action. But early scenes of the film show Mick in a mischievous mood, apparently determined to make the 65-year-old film legend’s job needlessly difficult. "We’re only going to give him the set list an hour before we go on stage," he says with a smile, before we cut to Scorsese in neurotic Woody Allen mode explaining to someone off camera that he needs to know what their opening track is so he can focus in on Keith, for example, if he is opening with an epic riff.
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