Sweet Summer Sun Screening

I still cannot believe that I won! 

This week, I happened to be one of the lucky few fans to attend the premiere private screening of Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live, the new Rolling Stones concert film. When I entered the contest last week, I figured there’s no way I’d win. I never win anything. But on Monday morning I received an email congratulating me. I had no idea how truly lucky I was until we arrived at Universal Music in Santa Monica, CA on Tuesday night.

When we walked into the lobby, only a handful of people were waiting to get into the theater. I thought it was some sort of mistake, imagining that the Bob Marley Room would be packed with herds of other lucky fans. Instead, we found an intimate conference room set up with a large screen and comfortable office chairs. The winning fans, only 12 of us, had reserved seating in the front rows. The rest of the 50 or so people were members of the press and the marketing departments from Eagle Rock Entertainment and various other entertainment entities.

There was food and alcohol, but I was too nervous to eat and swigged a glass of wine instead.  At first I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t get over how fortunate I was to be sitting in a room filled with VIPs. Once the movie started, I relaxed in my front row seat and watched as the camera panned over the enormous audience at Hyde Park. It was amazing! The camera work alone was spectacular and the audio quality was incredible. It was really cool to see a Stones concert from all the different perspectives, including the bands’ POV.

The screening only lasted about an hour. They didn't show the whole 2½ hour film, instead selecting a few scenes. The most notable song of the night was “Midnight Rambler.” If you were lucky enough to recently see the Stones live, you know how mind-blowing it was to hear Mick Taylor join the band to play this masterpiece. It was just as powerful watching it all over again. I suggest you buy Sweet Summer Sun when it is released on November 12th. You won’t regret it.

I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see the entire film. Until on the way out, when I received my very own Blue Ray copy!