Tuesday, June 23, 2009

SOTD: Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter"


Why it's song of the day:

Last night, I went to opening night of King Lear at The Shakespeare Theatre. The production, starring Stacy Keach as Lear, was originally staged at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago and let me tell you-- it is phenomenal.

For those of you who are in DC and might want to go see it, Shakespeare offers discounted tickets for patrons under 35, and I promise, even if the bard has never held your attention before, this production is definitely worth the 10 bucks. BUT I will give you this warning: this Lear is not for the faint of heart. Strangulation, asfixiation, rape, nudity, eye gouging and lots of dead bodies. BUT. Everything the director chooses to do can be justified by the text, and therefore, the play's themes are stronger here than I've ever seen them before. (Though a close second is the Lear in the final episode of Slings and Arrows.) And while the production is devastating, it is also a very honest depiction of the darkness that exists within the human soul and the dangers of embracing sin.

So what does all that have to do with The Stones?? Well, yet to be mentioned here is the seriously awesome sound design of the show. You'd think that "Gimme Shelter" in the middle of the storm scene would be overkill-- it's not. Somehow, it works so perfectly with the rock-and-roll pace of the show.

Why you should love it:

With The Beatles, The Rolling Stones pretty much defined the Rock and Roll genre. And this song is The Stones at their best. Hope it pumps up your Tuesday.

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