Four Flicks (DVD) New Brunswick NJ

Four Flicks (DVD)

The Rolling Stones

RST Concerts, 2003

http://www.rollingstones.com

REVIEW BY: David Bowling

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/16/2007

Four Flicks is a four-DVD three-concert box set from the Rolling Stones Hot Licks Tour of 2002-2003, surely the only time in history that a band go so much mileage from a best-selling hits collection released just before (Forty Licks). The Stones have traveled a lot of miles over the past 40 years and Four Flicks proves they can still rock with the best.

There is a lot to recommend here. Three concerts are presented in their entirety. I have never liked concert albums or DVDs that take songs from a number of concerts and piece them together to form the perfect show. Just give me the highs and lows of a complete concert and enable me to experience the good with the bad.

Fortunately, that is the case here, as the three shows are an arena gig from Madison Square Garden, a stadium show from London and a small theater show from Paris. Each of these settings show the Stones in a different light and, in different ways, the group proves it is still one of the better live performers in rock 'n' roll.

Disc 1 is the bonus disc, a documentary (the fourth flick, if you will). Don't watch this one first, as the concerts are much better. But for fans it will be a treat, since it's one of the better documentaries that I have ever seen or heard. The journey from performance concepts to rehearsals to finally hitting the stage are all chronicled. In addition, interviews with the members of the band and rare concert footage is inserted throughout. There is an old short clip from a concert with Brian Jones that is chilling, while Keith Richards is reflective and talks about living “not a predictable life.” Charlie Watts provides also very interesting commentary, but for me, seeing Bill Clinton introduce the Stones and hearing Mick Jagger sing the scales as a warm up is priceless.