Jefferson Starship - The Definitive Concert


Year of Release: 2002
Label: Lightyear
Catalog Number: 75135
Format: DVD
Total Time: 51:00:00

This lineup of Jefferson Starship was my personal favorite. They pumped out successive albums filled with the kind of high-energy rock that I always loved to listen to. The combination of the old guard Jefferson Airplane members, ex-spouses Grace Slick and Paul Kanter, was a good mix with the influx of younger blood (at the time) of lead singer Mickey Thomas and rapid-fire guitar man Craig Chaquico, whom helped the airplane transform into a starship. Thomas was the voice of the huge '70s hit ?Fooled Around And Fell In Love.? He was the perfect compliment to the queen of rock 'n' roll Ms. Slick. Their one-two punch was one of the most successful vocal acts of the '80s.

The Definitive Concert was recorded in Vancouver, Canada in 1983, right at the peak of the band's powers as a live attraction. A strange dude named Shortwave Mike added some color to the show on a few short time outs in between numbers, kind of like commercial breaks. The character is always trying to avoid the copyright police and then ends up getting caught selling the concert through his space station/satellite to music fans as he floats high above the globe. It is a corny spoof on the music biz.

Grace is in excellent form on this night and as animated as ever, singing songs like ?Black Widow? as if they were about her specifically. What impressed me the most was how tight the band was and how they flawlessly duplicated each individual track just as they played them in the studio. Chaquico, who has recorded some amazing acoustic instrumentals over the years, looks like the typical hair band arena rock gunslinger. Sweating profusely, he gets every ounce of sound out of his guitar. He played effortlessly on this night, as I am sure he did on many others. I feel he was one of the most underrated guitar players of his day. Slick sounded the best when she did the classic Jefferson Airplane song ?White Rabbit.? It was chill time, prompting an instant throwback to the Haight-Ashbury era. The talents of Thomas get the spotlight on his signature song ?Jane.? He had quite the range and could pull in those high notes with ease, much like his Bay area counterpart Steve Perry. That particular song was the best rocker of that era for the band.

The title of this DVD is apt and it lives up to its name. While not a visually enthralling video, it rocks just the same. There are no interviews or bonus features, just great live music, which makes it a must have for any Airplane/Starship fan.


Tracklisting:
Winds Of Change / Ride The Tiger / Stranger / Black Widow / Find Your Way Back / Somebody To Love / Be My Lady / Girl With The Hungry Eyes / Out Of Control / White Rabbit / Jane / Stairway To Cleveland

Musicians:
Grace Slick - vocals
Pete Sears - bass, keyboards
Paul Kantner - guitar
Mickey Thomas - vocals
Craig Chaquico - guitar
David Freiberg - guitar, vocals
Mike MacDonald as Shortwave Mike

Discography:
Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off (1966/2002*/2003*)
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow (1967/2001/2003*)
Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing at Baxter's (1967/2003*)
Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation (1968/2003*)
Jefferson Airplane - Bless Its Pointed Little Head (1969)
Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers (1969)
Jefferson Airplane - The Worst of Jefferson Airplane (1970)
Jefferson Airplane - Bark (1971)
Jefferson Airplane - Long John Silver (1972)
Jefferson Airplane - Thirty Seconds Over Winterland (1973)
Jefferson Airplane - Early Flight (1974)
Jefferson Starship - Dragon Fly (1974)
Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus (1975)
Jefferson Starship - Spitfire (1976)
Jefferson Airplane - Flight Log (1966-1976) (1977)
Jefferson Starship - Earth (1978)
Jefferson Starship - Freedom at Point Zero (1979)
Jefferson Starship - Gold (1979)
Jefferson Airplane - The Best of Jefferson Airplane (1980)
Jefferson Starship - Modern Times (1981)
Jefferson Airplane - Radio Special, Vol. 19 (1982)
Jefferson Starship - Winds Of Change (1982)
Jefferson Airplane - Rock Galaxy (1983)
Jefferson Starship - Nuclear Furniture (1984)
Starship - Knee Deep In The Hoopla (1985)
Starship - No Protection (1987)
Jefferson Airplane - 2400 Fulton Street: An Anthology (1987)
Jefferson Airplane - Collection (1988)
Jefferson Airplane - Jefferson Airplane (1989)
Starship - Love Among The Cannibals (1989)
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit & Other Hits (1990)
Starship - Starship's Greatest Hits: Ten Years Of Change (1991)
Jefferson Airplane - Jefferson Airplane Loves You (1992)
Starship - The Best Of Starship (1993)
Jefferson Starship - A Retrospective (1993)
Jefferson Starship - At Their Best (1993)
Jefferson Starship - Virgin Sky (1995)
Jefferson Starship - Collection (1995)
Jefferson Starship - Deep Space (1995)
Jefferson Airplane - Live at the Monterey Festival (1995)
Jefferson Airplane - Journey: The Best of Jefferson Airplane (1996)
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow/Volunteers (1996)
Jefferson Airplane - Feed Your Head: Live 1967-1969 (1996)
Jefferson Starship - Miracles [live] (1997)
Starship - We Built This City: Greatest Hits (1997)
Jefferson Airplane - Live at the Fillmore East (1998)
Jefferson Airplane - Hits (1998)
Jefferson Starship - Live: Miracles (1998)
Jefferson Airplane - The Best of Jefferson Airplane (1999)
Jefferson Starship - Greatest Hits: Live at the Fillmore (1999)
Jefferson Starship - Windows of Heaven (1999)
Jefferson Airplane - Love Songs (2000)
Jefferson Airplane - VH-1 Behind the Music: The Jefferson? (2000)
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love (2000)
Jefferson Starship - Extended Versions: The Encore Collection [live] (2000)
Jefferson Airplane - Live in Monterey (2001)
Jefferson Airplane - The Roar of Jefferson Airplane (2001)
Jefferson Airplane - Best of Jefferson Airplane (2001)
Jefferson Airplane - Ignition (2001)
Jefferson Starship - Across The Sea Of Suns (2001)
Jefferson Airplane - Greatest Hits (2002)
Jefferson Starship - Deeper Space/Extra Virgin Sky (2002)
Jefferson Starship - Then & Now (2002)
Jefferson Airplane - Platinum & Gold Collection (2003)
Jefferson Starship - Platinum & Gold Collection (2003)
Starship - Greatest Hits (2003)
Starship - Starship Greatest Hits (2003)


Jefferson Starship - The Definitive Concert (VID/DVD) (1983/2002)

Genre: Rock

Origin US

Added: August 24th 2003
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.jeffersonstarhipsf.com
Hits: 2477
Language: english

  

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