Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment/Eagle Vision
Eagle Rock Entertainment has done it yet again. Somehow some way, Eagle Rock Entertainment has raised the bar yet again for live recordings. Eagle Rock has raised the bar yet again with its new live Rolling Stones recording, Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live. This concert recording is one for the ages. And it’s one for viewers of all ages. As viewers will see, the audience in attendance numbered more than one hundred thousand, according to the notes in the recording’s bonus booklet. That hundred thousand plus number was comprised of fans from every background and every age. This is a big statement, and it’s just one part of what makes this recording an absolute must have for any Rolling Stones fan. The show’s cinematography has been a point of contention among viewers. The reality of the cinematography is that there is nothing wrong with this aspect at all. As a matter of fact, it is another part of the whole that makes this presentation such a joy to watch. The bonus booklet included with the recording is the final touch to the package. It is an excellent companion to the video presentation, as audiences will see in watching what is a concert film in every sense. It provides an in-depth backstory on the band’s history at Hyde Park, as well as highlights of the show contained in the current recording. Together with the cinematography and the concert itself, it makes for one of the best live concert recordings overall in a very long time.
The Rolling Stones’ Hyde Park performance from its “50 and Counting” tour is one for the ages and one for all ages. Viewers that purchase this recording will see that among the one hundred thousand plus in attendance were concert goers of all ages. There were people in their forties, fifties, and potentially older. There were people in their twenties and thirties, too. At one point, viewers will even see a young man that could not have been more than perhaps thirteen years old. How many bands today can command an audience of over one hundred thousand? How many can say that they command an audiences of such size and of such a wide age range at the same time? This speaks loudly to just how popular and respected Mick Jagger and company are, even half a century after they first broke through and hit it big. The songs and the performance of the band only make this hit even harder. The audience in attendance was treated to rather wide array of songs from throughout the band’s career, starting fittingly with “Start Me Up.” “Honky Tonk Women”, “Midnight Rambler”, and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” are all there too along with plenty more songs to which even home audiences will find themselves ancing and singing. The ironic thing of this show is that the band closes out the main concert feature with a performance of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” It’s pretty obvious that the band got plenty of satisfaction, as did the audience in attendance. The same can be said of those that watch the concert both on DVD and Blu-ray.
The band’s performance and the vast size and age range of the audience at the Stones’ Hyde Park concert is in itself a big statement. Making that statement even bolder is the concert’s cinematography. There are those that have criticized this recording for its cinematography. The biggest complaints are that the shots are too quick and that there aren’t enough close up shots of the band. But those that complain obviously haven’t taken the full extent of the cinematography into account. It’s that same cinematography that captures the full immensity of the audience in attendance. The aerial angles used throughout the concert show the contrast of that massive crowd against the band on stage. Those shots taken from behind the band are just as powerful. They drive home the sheer size of the audience. It makes even more incredible the fact that the band could command such an immense audience. And then there are the “crowd shots.” These shots are taken more from the angle of the crowd. The shots taken from higher up show the massive size of the stage setup. The wider the angle of those shots, the more it hits home to viewers just how large the stage set really was.
The cinematography and the overall immensity of the show truly make Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live a once in a lifetime concert in every sense of the term. There’s still something else to consider that puts this latest live recording over the top. That last aspect is the recording’s bonus booklet. The booklet that comes with the recording gives viewers an in-depth look at the band’s history at Hyde Park. It includes a full rundown of the concert contained on the new presentation’s disc. That introduction helps to set up the recording in question. There is also a handful of pictures peppered throughout the booklet that were taken during the newer of the band’s Hyde Park performances. The history and the pictures make the booklet an invaluable addition to the overall presentation of this new release. It is one more part of the whole that makes this release an absolute must have for any Rolling Stones fan. The DVD, Blu-ray, and CD presentation of Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live are all available now in stores and online. More information on this and other releases from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online at http://www.eaglerockent.com and http://www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
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