The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.5

The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 2, 2016

There’s some frankly kind of shocking footage of slums in and around Havana at the beginning of The Rolling Stones Havana Moon that suggests that the broadening relationship between Cuba and the rest of the world, notably the United States, may hopefully portend better economic times ahead for the defiant island. There’s nothing but hope and gratitude on display, though, throughout the historic concert captured in Havana in March of 2016. The Stones themselves seem to be incredibly appreciative of the chance to play such an historically important performance, and the adoration on the part of over a million Cubans in attendance is evident not just on their faces, but in the regular shouts and screams they send the Stones’ way. The concert itself is typically high energy, high energy enough that it’s not just Mick who dances and struts his way across the stage at regular intervals.

A broad array of Stones material is presented in this concert. The set list is as follows:

Jumpin' Jack Flash
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
Out of Control
Angie
Paint It Black
Honky Tonk Women
You Got the Silver
Midnight Rambler
Gimme Shelter
Sympathy for the Devil
Brown Sugar
You Can't Always Get What You Want
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Rolling Stones Havana Moon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment, and Universal Music Group with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 2.40:1. This is a great looking transfer for the most part, one that exploits the Havana locations in some evocative if occasionally disturbing looks at the island. While the concert is outdoor at night, the relatively normal looking stage lighting keeps the palette fresh and natural looking, and there's little if any problem with posterizing or banding. Some brief backstage looks don't have quite the detail levels of the bulk of the presentation (see screenshot 5), but overall this is a well detailed and precise looking presentation which should easily please the band's fans.

The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Rolling Stones Havana Moon features excellent sounding LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. The surround tracks significantly opens up the midrange and lower frequencies, somewhat burying Mick's vocals in the process (the biggest competition for Mick in both tracks is actually the often overpowering noise from the audience). There's a nice depth and breadth to the surround track, with both the audience noises and the general outdoor ambience lending a nice lifelike feel to the sonics. Fidelity is excellent, and while there are occasional slight prioritization issues, most fans should be very well pleased with the sound of this release.

The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bonus Tracks (1080i; 28:25) include performances of Tumbling Dice, All Down the Line, Before They Make Me Run, Miss You and Start Me Up.

Additionally, this digipack comes with 2 CDs.

The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those of us who thrive on latin rhythms and who crave Afro Cuban offerings are more than thrilled to think of what wonders might be coming out of Cuba now that relations are normalizing. But think of the joy and wonder the Cubans experienced to have The Rolling Stones there in Havana, playing and singing their hearts out for them. This is a wonderful concert, filled with a kind of ebullience that is too often missing from modern arena rock performances. Technical merits are generally strong, and The Rolling Stones Havana Moon comes Highly recommended.