Shine Of The Times

For more than 40 years now, we're been preparing for the idea of Mick Jagger in his dotage, looking across the evening of the day and feeling a big sense of loss. He prompted this notion in 1964 when he wrote 'As Tears Go By' for Marianne Faithful, a young person's idea of old age that has steadily overtaken him.

Well, sort of. Mick Jagger is about to turn 65. His face hangs in a peculiar way and his once pneumatic lips have deflated over time. But he still has the waist of a young boy, and he can shimmy with the authority of someone who learnt the art from Tina Turner and the Ikettes, back in the day. So if Mick is feeling remorse, then he doesn't reveal it on the Scorsese film, Shine A Light.

The director has lit the Beacon Theater event like a film set, rather than a gig. So everything is bright and sharply focussed, even the audience. The cameramen are shooting over the musicians' shoulders and the intimate moments are there. Charlie Watts is plainly tired, but then again he's just gone 68. Keith and Ronnie lumber to their own boogie-down agenda, and you smile often when you watch it. And the director mutates the sound so that the volume levels are akin to watching from the drum riser, the pit or behind the backline. A simple but an exciting way to convey the many dimensional thrills of a rock and roll performance.

When Mick sings 'As Tears Go By', the light is especially unforgiving. It's like a transmission back from a Mars probe, as every pit and crevice is revealed. It may well be their twilight hour, but here's an up-close history of how it was, when the riffs were royally loose and the players were still at it with affection. Now ain't the time for your tears.

(This is an edited version of last night's talk at the QFT in Belfast, introducing Shine A Light)