Description
“Hyde Park Live 1969” is an intriguing documentary and piece of pop history. The film catches the legendary British rockers at a watershed moment in their career, giving a free concert on July 5, 1969 in London’s historic Hyde Park in front of an estimated 400,000 fans. The future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers made their return to the stage after a two year hiatus with newly hired guitarist Mick Taylor making his live stage debut, hot on the heels of the tragic death of ex-Stones guitarist and founding member Brian Jones. The documentary follows the band onstage and behind the scenes, catching snippets of Mick Jagger expressing concerns about his ability to read a eulogy he’s prepared for Brian Jones, brief interviews with UK Hell’s Angels members who’ve been hired to act as bodyguards at the concert (foreshadowing the disaster at Altamont to follow), Keith Richards and Mick Taylor jamming backstage (almost worth the price of the DVD by itself) and Jagger pontificating circa 1960’s hippy speak on what a rock concert ought to be.
