I really have to start off by saying that I enjoy Concert DVDs immensely, although some of them don’t give you that full concert experience. With Live on the Boston Esplanade, June 14, 2008 I actually felt like I was there because of the multiple cameras that were used for this particular performance.
It was a very high energy show. Marty covered a good portion of his well-known catalog from the Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and solo material including such masterpieces as “Runaway,” “Somebody to Love,” “White Rabbit,” which features Didi Stewart from Boston area favorites Girls Night Out and Didi Stewart & The Amplifiers on lead vocals, the Berklee College professor doing a fine job on these two giants from the ‘Summer of Love.’ And what vocals!…so amazingly close to Grace Slick. It gave Marty a breather so that he could counterpunch the crowd with his voice on classics like “Count on Me,” “Miracles,” “Volunteers,” his Top 10 solo hit “Hearts” plus a few more.
I thought that not only the performance was fabulous but the bonus footage was superb as well, such as Marty rehearsing for the gig, a splendid rendition of the Essra Mohawk/Duke Williams tune “Shaping the Night,” a one hour interview with Marty , interviews with Signe Anderson the original founding lead singer of the Airplane predecessor to Grace Slick, along with interview footage of the two Airplane biographers, Jeff Tamarkin and Craig Fenton. What more could we ask for? You get a lot of bang for your buck here you won’t be disappointed it’s a fine two and a half hour monumental piece that will stand the test of time in years to come.
In this reviewer’s opinion it deserves five stars all around the board for content and nothing else is yet out there “solo” on this Iconic Rockand Roll Hall of Fame legend. You can find Marty on J.A. and J.S. DVDs, of course, but this film, produced and directed by Joe Viglione, is the initial blast of Marty Balin live on DVD.
Special Thanks to Guest Contributor Ed Wrobleski
