Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones Live At The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981 DVD

Obviously, Muddy Waters was a huge influence on the Rolling Stones - he gave them their name, after all - and they have shown their love for him many times over the years. Here they took a break from a major tour to see the man playing a small club in Chicago. Of course, this is all staged - there is no way that the Stones could clandestinely appear anywhere at this stage of their career - but it does show how much the boys still loved their mentor.

The show starts out with Muddy's band playing a few tunes by themselves, as was common in his shows at the time, and then Muddy takes the stage for a couple numbers - even playing some biting slide guitar, which he didn't always do at this point. The Stones arrive to much fanfare during an extended "Baby Please Don't Go", which becomes a jam as Muddy calls up Mick, pianist Ian Stewart, Keith & Ron Wood. Mick comes & goes during the night and is, quite frankly, the weakest part of the show - he is a consummate showman in his own right, but flailing about next to the intense dignity and presence of Waters, he tends to fall short.

Richards & Wood both perform well, though there are no big sparks flying - just fun jamming among friends. Junior Wells and Buddy Guy make appearances and are both pretty great, but the festivities are brought down a bit by an overly inebriated Lefty Dizz, who I am not familiar with, but his playing here is simply, sadly, sloppy.

Again, a fun, rompin', stompin' jam night, but don't expect any real magic. Muddy was capable of some real entertainment, though his appearances here are all too brief, and his band is good & solid and really hold down the fort as anarchy reigns around them. A good-time video showing what happens when musicians of all calibers get together to let off steam and enjoy themselves.