Now available on Blu-ray and DVD, Some Girls – Live in Texas ‘78 contains a previously unreleased complete concert by The Rolling Stones from their 1978 tour of the United States. As the band was touring in support of their massive hit album Some Girls, this show was filmed in Forth Worth, Texas, on July 18th, 1978.
The venue, the Will Rogers Memorial Center, was a relatively small one that seats just under 3,000. With no gimmicks or fancy set, the focus of the concert is entirely on the music. The energy level is high, with Jagger in rare vocal form. He works up an even greater sweat than usual, belting songs like “Shattered” and “Brown Sugar” with near maniacal fervor. Sweetening the deal, Eagle Rock Entertainment has included the entire 17-song set on audio CD to go along with the video.
The set is heavy with songs from Some Girls; no less than seven, which are played in a row during the middle of the concert. Highlights include prime takes on “Miss You” and “Shattered,” with the only dud being the hokey country & western goof “Far Away Eyes.” The Stones don’t dip too far back into their 
catalog this time out, with the earliest song being 1968’s “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” There’s not much room for obscurities in this lean set, with “Star Star” from Goat’s Head Soup being probably the least well known song. A pair of great Chuck Berry covers, one well known (“Sweet Little Sixteen”) and one lesser known (the opening number “Let It Rock”), are great additions to the concert.
The 1080i Blu-ray transfer of Some Girls – Live in Texas ‘78 is only problematic if viewed out of context. The original 16mm film footage of this concert has been sitting unreleased for 33 years. While it doesn’t always look pretty, this is a case where we should be glad we have it at all. But I don’t mean to say it looks poor. Even though it is inconsistent in sharpness and contrast levels, the picture quality is actually very good. There isn’t much detail in the dark and super grainy audience shots, but that’s really no big deal. Even though Bill Wyman, as well as the two keyboardists, stay mainly in the shadows, the footage of Jagger, Richards, and Wood is relatively crisp. The level of grain is natural and totally appropriate for 16mm footage shot under variable lighting.
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