Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 10, 2022

When the back cover of this release mentions what might be almost gobsmackingly impressive for most bands, namely celebrating a 40th anniversary as a performing unit, it may ultimately seem positively passé when one considers that the Rolling Stones, while now sadly missing Charlie Watts, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. You might think that a band even at the 40 year mark might be showing its age, but this viscerally exciting 2003 performance at Madison Square Garden proves that even (euphemistically?) "middle aged" guys can still get their swagger (and/or Jagger) on without too many problems. This is another relentlessly high energy set from the Stones, with a guest appearance by Sheryl Crow on "Honky Tonk Women". The band covers some of the "usual suspects" in terms of the Stones' iconic discography, but also adds a few less expected numbers into the mix.

The tracklist for this performance is as follows:

1. Intro
2. Street Fighting Man
3. Start Me Up
4. If You Can't Rock Me
5. Don't Stop
6. Monkey Man
7. Angie
8. Let It Bleed
9. Midnight Rambler
10. Tumbling Dice
11. Thru and Thru
12. Happy
13. Gimme Shelter
14. You Got Me Rocking
15. Can't You Hear Me Knocking
16. Honky Tonk Woman (with Sheryl Crow
17. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
18. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
19. When the Whip Comes Down
20. Brown Sugar
21. Sympathy for the Devil
22. Jumpin' Jack Flash

Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rolling Stones Liked Live in NYC is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Mercury Studios and Universal Music Group with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.33:1. This is another self-branded "SD Blu-ray", and those who have been collecting the many Rolling Stones releases in this upscaled format will probably know pretty much what to expect here, though I'd say things may actually be marginally better looking with regard to this release than some of the other SD Blu-ray of Stones material. That said, I'd caution anyone about getting their hopes up too high, as a cursory glance at the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review may reveal. The palette is probably the best overall thing here, and things are very nicely suffused for the most part. Clarity and detail levels are often marginal at best, but at least in close-ups, while there can still be things like ghosting and combing anomalies, fine detail can perk up at least a bit. Some "fly on the wall" moments actually look a bit out of focus, which obviously doesn't help support detail and clarity.

Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As also tends to be the case with the now many SD Blu-rays of Stones material on the market, the audio side of things is decidedly more impressive than the video. Both the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 tracks offer secure accountings of the propulsive performance, though as tends to be my personal preference, I sometimes wish the vocals had been mixed a bit more forward in the 5.1 version. That said, there's nice spaciousness in the surround track and a good reproduction of the cavernous acoustics of Madison Square Garden. As is often the case with these live performances, audience reaction can be overwhelming at times.

Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Live in Amsterdam (HD; 15:24)

  Star Star

  
  

  I Just Want to Make Love to you

  
  

  Street Fighting Man

• Rehearsals (HD; 1:05:26 )

  Well Well

  
  

  Extreme Western Grip

  
  

  Tip of the Tongue

  
  

  Tip of the Tongue (Backstage)

Note: Both of the above main titled supplements group offer links to individual performances, but the supplements are authored together in two groups (as indicated by the timecodes), and so if, for example, you try to play Star Star individually, the disc is authored to move on automatically to the two following live performances, and the same situation is on display in the rehearsal footage as well.

Additionally, the Digipack includes 2 CDs of the concert, and a nicely appointed insert booklet with a good essay by Paul Sexton.

Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC is yet another fantastic performance from the Stones, though this is one of Mercury Studios' "SD Blu-rays" where some fans may just want to leave their displays off and just listen to the music. With unavoidable caveats about the video quality, but with an appreciation of the excellent audio and nice supplements, Rolling Stones: Licked Live in NYC comes Recommended.