Mick and the boys roll
on without Brian.
Two days after founding member Brian Jones was found facedown in his swimming pool, The Rolling Stones were scheduled to perform at a free concert in London’s Hyde Park. Jones had been dropped from the band some months earlier and this was to be new recruit Mick Taylor’s live debut with the band. Instead, it became a eulogy for his predecessor. Mick Jagger, dressed in what looks like a white frock, opens the show with a reading from Shelley along with the release of thousands of white butterflies. The band sounds pretty ragged, particularly during Satisfaction, but finds its groove during Sympathy for the Devil.
This 50-minute film is a documentary shot for British television back in the day and features some rather dry narration along with glimpses of the tripped-out crowd and the Hells Angels who were hired to control them. Brief footage of the band backstage and interviews with Jagger and Keith Richards add to the fun.