The Rolling Stones, ‘From The Vault: Hyde Park Live 1969’ Blu-ray Review

Even in the world of rock gods, the show must go on at all costs. Just two days after Brian Jones died at age 27, The Rolling Stones performed for free on a makeshift stage in London’s Hyde Park on July 5, 1969. It was also the first time Mick Taylor, whose guitar would define the Stones’ most consistently brilliant period, performed live with the group. And it was also their first full performance in two years.

The concert was filmed for a TV special called The Stones In The Park, which makes up Eagle Rock’s latest From The Vault Blu-ray, Hyde Park Live 1969. While the concert was a full performance with 14 songs, the documentary only included nine songs, many of them edited to fit into a 55-minute program that also included interviews with Mick Jagger.

Seeing as this was their first full show in two years, many of the songs the Stones performed had never been done live before. They also didn’t have much time to rehearse, so the performances are ragged and unrefined. Even “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” doesn’t sound that great here. By the time the show was nearing its end, the Stones had found a groove and exploded for an 18-minute version of “Sympathy For The Devil” with African musicians on drums. Unfortunately, only 10 minutes of the song are included in the film.

The most entertaining parts of the documentary aren't the performances. It's the interviews with Jagger and members of the crowd. There’s a particularly funny moment when a man says that the Stones will never get anything like the Beatles, who received MBEs, because they fight the system. I wonder how that man feels now that Jagger is a knight. There’s also another funny bit when Jagger tries to explain why playing concerts for money is pointless.

Unlike last month’s Marquee Club Live 1971 Blu-ray/CD set, The Stones In The Park is presented with high definition video here. However, there are no bonus tracks and no CD is included. There is a booklet with an essay, though.

While it would really have been nice to see more performances from this historic show, Stones fans will certainly get a kick out of seeing this documentary if they never have. Hyde Park Live 1969 hits stores on July 24.