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The Arts Intel Report

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

Mick Jagger in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.

May 4, 2024
327 Warren St, Hudson, NY 12534, United States

Filmed before a live audience at a North London television studio in 1968, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is proof that you can always get what you want. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the hour-long concert film features the Rolling Stones’ original lineup, with songs like “Jumping Jack Flash,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” and “Salt of The Earth.” Interactions between band members, such as Mick Jagger and John Lennon calling each other “Winston” and “Michael,” could make any fan blush. But the concert’s true treasure is its circus set and costumes (Google it), a Wizard of Oz meets the 60s camp extravaganza. Originally meant to air on the BBC, the Stones withheld it, arguing that their performance was substandard. The film was released in 1996, however, and will be screened again in May with a conversation between Lindsay-Hogg and a special guest; a solo exhibition by the director is also on view. —Jeanne Malle