Live At The Boston Esplanade
June 14, 2008

Marty Balin

It seems a lot of the stars of the original Woodstock have been on the road of late, warming up, playing gigs, featuring tunes from their 1969 sets. Woodstock revivals of one kind or another have featured just about everyone from Ten Years After to Country Joe to Jefferson Starship. Meanwhile, on-again, off-again Starship vocalist Marty Balin paid a tribute of his own with a five-piece band in Boston for a concert captured on the Live At The Boston Esplanade, June 14, 2008 DVD.

Balin's distinctive pipes matched perfectly with Grace Slick on those Jefferson Airplane classics, and he revisits quite a few of those tunes here. He enlists vocalist Didi Stewart as his female counterpart on "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love." Jefferson Starship guitarist Mark 'Slick" Aguilar joins Balin for a two-show the covers the singer’s colorful past. There's "Runaway," a countrified "Count On Me," and a meandering "Miracles." Balin can still croon, but his pipes are a little rusty on this one. His solo hit "Hearts" gets a great airing though, while "Volunteers" turns out to be the best version of an Airplane classic of the whole set.

One problem with Live at The Boston Esplanade, June 14, 2008 is the way the outdoor show was shot. It’s almost as if you’re watching a home movie. The camera never gets in all that close and the sound really isn't all that great. The bonus interviews and extra song from a club date with just Balin and Aguilar on guitar are cool, but they don’t make up for the lack of production value. Still Live At The Boston Esplanade, June 14, 2008 is a live representation of what Marty Balin is about these days — how he fits his past in alongside his current music. He still sounds pretty damn good four decades after Woodstock.

~ Ralph Greco. Jr.

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