The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a film released in 1996 of a December 11, 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The event comprised two concerts on a circus stage, and included acts such as Eric Clapton, The Who, John Lennon, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithful, and Jethro Tull. It was originally meant to be aired on television, but the Rolling Stones withheld its airing and release.
The project was originally conceived by Mick Jagger as a way of branching out from conventional records and concert performances. Jagger approached Michael Lindsay-Hogg , who had directed two promos for Stones songs, to make a full-length TV show for them. According to Lindsay-Hogg, the idea of combining music and circus came to him when he was trying to come up with ideas, drew a circle on a piece of paper and free-associated.
The Stones and their guests performed in a replica of a seedy big top that was actually on a British sound stage, in front of an invited audience. The performances began at around 2 PM on December 11, 1968, but setting up between acts took longer than planned and the cameras kept breaking down, which meant that the final performances took place at almost 5 AM the next morning. By that time the audience and most of the Stones were visibly exhausted, and only Jagger's sheer stamina managed to keep them going until the end.
It was finally released on video in 1996. A remastered DVD appeared in 2004 with the sound remixed into Dolby Surround , and extra features including previously "lost" performances, an interview with Pete Townshend, and three audio commentaries.
Last updated: 08-23-2005 15:17:53