The Rolling Stones: Documentaries to Watch if You Love the Band
Over the years, multiple documentaries have been made about The Rolling Stones. Films have tracked the band’s performances, dynamics, and disagreements as far back as the 1960s. Here are four documentaries about The Rolling Stones that fans of the band should watch.
1. ‘My Life as a Rolling Stone’ is a documentary series
My Life as a Rolling Stone is a four-part documentary series that dedicates one episode to each member of the band. While the episode that focuses on Charlie Watts relies on archival footage, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood sat for interviews.
The series touches on the history that fans know well — drug busts, notable performances, and tax exile, for example — but also presents the members of the band as individuals. This approach allows viewers to see each of their contributions to the band, which has remained together for decades. The series ends with an episode about Watts, made all the more poignant by his recent death.
My Life as a Rolling Stone is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
2. ‘Shine a Light’ captures The Rolling Stones at a concert
Most of the Stones’ concerts take place in enormous venues like stadiums. In 2006, however, they played a far more intimate show at New York’s Beacon Theater. The star-studded crowd included Martin Scorsese, who filmed the show.
In between shots of the concert — during which the band performed with Jack White, Buddy Guy, and Christina Aguilera — Scorsese intercut historical news clips and archival interviews. While dedicated fans of the band may know much of the historical information presented, they’ll enjoy the unique and electrifying concert footage.
Shine a Light is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
3. ‘Gimme Shelter’ is 1 of the best documentaries about The Rolling Stones
The 1970 film Gimme Shelter follows The Rolling Stones through the final weeks of their 1969 tour. The film captures the band at their height, but it is also significantly darker than other documentaries about the group, to the point where some describe it as a horror movie.
The documentary culminates in The Rolling Stones’ notorious free concert at the Altamont Speedway. The crowd and security grew increasingly unruly throughout the day, culminating in the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter, a fan. Gimme Shelter is the best documentary about The Rolling Stones, and is also considered one of the best music documentaries of all time.
Gimme Shelter is available to stream on HBO Max.
4. ‘20 Feet From Stardom’ follows some of the backup singers for the Stones
While 20 Feet From Stardom is not a documentary about The Rolling Stones, it includes a bit of the band’s history. The 2013 film follows a number of backup singers, including Lisa Fischer, who worked extensively with The Rolling Stones for years, beginning in 1989.
The movie also includes an interview with Merry Clayton, a backup singer who sang on “Gimme Shelter” in 1969. Clayton describes receiving a phone call in the middle of the night and arriving at the studio in curlers. Jagger, who gave an interview for the film, also speaks about the recording session.
20 Feet From Stardom is currently available to stream on HBO Max.
