Review of Gimme Shelter (1986) by Ivan D — 04 May 2010

One word could actually summarize the experience of watching such documentary: Harrowing. It's a rare concert documentation that treats the music not as a testament of art in the rock n' roll scene, but more of an inaudible score to accompany the chaos.

Even for rock purists, it's hard to appreciate The Rolling Stone's works amidst the anarchy, because rather than it(the songs) being the celebration of the music, it's a bitter taste not just in our mouths, but also for Mick Jagger's and his troupe, whose influence among the "hippie" culture has brought about this unexpected folly.

There were many sequences of sheer absurdities that one would mistake some of it to be purely surrealist ones, but the scene that lingered in my mind was the shot of The Rolling Stones' helicopter's departure, as the "hippie" counterculturist desperately said their goodbyes to the leaving band.

It is a scene reminiscent of the final shot of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", and for once, I thought, the audiences of that fateful day was comparable to Romero's undead: Both animated by something beyond their control, but ultimately likes.

After witnessing the horrors of "Gimme Shelter", I instantly had the desire to rewatch "This is Spinal Tap", just as how I liked to take a shower after watching "Salo".