Ciné Music Festival: The Rolling Stones in Cuba: Havana Moon

This caught little of the atmosphere of such a momentous evening. The video concentrates primarily on close ups of the band ad nauseum. I was left wondering what did the stage show actually look like and how did it appear to those attending that night? There were only short glimpses of the stage show itself. A real pity.

The Stones are in Cuba. It's 2016 and Obama has reopened relationship with the country. If this is nothing more than an ordinary Stones concert, I'd give it a six. I love the music but I've never loved the band. The boys are on their AARP tour for so long that it's become a cliche. One has to applaud the old timers even after they tell you to appreciate Mick wiggling his old butt around. I don't think they need to say it out loud. The difference here is the crowd. There is a little bit more juice as they celebrate something deeper. It's not the look of the usual carefree careless fans. It was reported to be the biggest crowd for a rock concert on the island after its reopening. These are regular folks who are enjoying something which used to be forbidden. I do wish the boys could walk the streets and have crowd scenes to intersperse between the songs. They need real interactions with their fans. It's missing the ground level man on the street. The music is classic. The boys are strutting. The crowd is having fun. The occasion is historic. It's a fine concert film with something more behind the scenes.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to spend a week in Havana. I found people who have nothing but are wonderfully warm, welcoming and endlessly cheerful. And, above all, they are passionate about rock-'n'-roll! When they discover you are English all they want to talk about is rock bands! And it really shows in this movie. The crowd is amazing and you just want to be with them! It really rubs off on the band too who are really into it and having a whale of a time. They are incredibly tight, professional and musical, with an astonishing energy considering their advancing years. They are just loving this rock-starved audience! I've got a huge library of live-show recordings from many bands but this is far and away my favourite. And I'm not even a massive Stones fan!