JEFFERSON STARSHIP @ The Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA 9.1.07

This assignment was definitely a highlight for me of the Billboard/Mobilebeat experience.     "Are you available Saturday to cover 'Jefferson Starship' at the Sausalito Art Festival?"   HELL YEAH!!! This is not like any Art Festival I'VE ever been to.   First of all, it's in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, Sausalito, on the San Francisco Bay -- you drive over the magical Golden Gate Bridge to get there, which to this day, is still exciting to me.    (You can also take a Ferry across the Bay from San Francisco.)

Once again I'm amazed at the quality of the pictures I can take with this LG phone!!

The artists/vendors are the best of the best, and come from all over the world.    This is "Art Festival for the Rich & Famous."    You have never seen anything like it.  Works of art (whether they be photos, sculpture, jewelry -- whatever) are created using methods and materials you would never have dreamt of using in a million years.   Most did not fit my  lifestyle or my budget ... but these works of art are awe-inspiring nonetheless.    I continued to be blown away by the artists' imagination and creativity.    This Festival also showcases local wines and always has great music!   I attended this event for the first time last year with Gary (we saw Elvin Bishop performing on the main stage), and this year was no less awe-inspiring.    This is an event that I will make a point of attending every year.

This year, the Sausalito Art Festival  joined in the 40-year anniversary celebration of the Summer of Love, and featured several local groups from the era on their Main Stage over the 3 days of "The Best Art & Wine Festival in the World."     I decided to get there early -- not only because I was excited to see Jefferson Starship, but also to enjoy the art festival. Thanks to Billboard/Mobilebeat, I was on the Jefferson Starship "Guest List," and a backstage pass was waiting for me at Will Call.    I was wearing my Billboard/Mobilebeat "Press" ID, and attached my "Stage" pass to that.   Stopping at one booth to look at the most incredible jewelry, I was chatting with the artist and telling her how much I loved her work.   She noticed my press ID and said, "What kind of press are you?"    I said, "I'm with Billboard ... I'm here to write a review of Jefferson Starship."    (Wow!   Doesn't that sound SO COOL?!?   Does this contest really have to end?!?)     This incredibly talented artist and her assistant had the same "Wow!" reaction ... and were quite envious of my "job."

   

I don't know about you, but when I think of the Summer of Love, counter-culture, hippies, "Make love, not war," I immediately think of Grace Slick's voice asking, "Don't you want somebody to love ... don't you need somebody to love ... wouldn't you love somebody to love ... you'd better find somebody to love!"    It was also the Jefferson Airplane with Grace Slick singing the song even *I* knew was about "drugs" .... (but not the ones your mother gives you 'cause they don't do anything at all ... "White Rabbit.") Jefferson Airplane, which later evolved into Jefferson Starship (plus and minus a few band members), was right at the heart of the Summer of Love in San Francisco forty years ago.   It was the summer of 1967 -- boyfriend Gary graduated from a local high school that year, and was taking in the local music scene; but I was just 10 years old and didn't really know WHAT was going on with all those "hippies" in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco.    My parents grew up in San Francisco and my grandmother lived there for over 70 of her 101 years.  The locals bemoaned the fact that "The Haight" USED to be a nice neighborhood until those "long-haired hippie-freaks" moved in!    If you were 10 years old in 1967, "The Haight" wasn't a part of town you got to experience.     Now, 40 years later, I'm thinking, "Damn!   I was right there, and I MISSED IT!" The Jefferson Starship of 2007 includes Jefferson Airplane founders Marty Balin and Paul Kantner, as well as David Freiberg (also a member of "Quicksilver Messenger Service") who joined Jefferson Airplane in the early 1970's, then remained with the group as they evolved into "Jefferson Starship," in about 1974.    Pretty damn cool to see these three guys performing together!

   

MARTY BALIN

   

PAUL KANTNER

DAVID FREIBERG

Grace Slick stopped performing years ago, although she did sing on a Jefferson Starship album as recently as 1999.     The lovely female vocals were provided by DIANA MAGNANO ad DARBY GOULD.

Lead guitarist, SLICK AGUILAR (with the band since the early 1990's) is an AWESOME guitar player!!

Jefferson Starship also featured Chris Smith on keyboards (who backed up Darby Gould on a great Blues song); and Prairie Prince on drums.     Their set ran longer than the scheduled hour and a half, and the crowd was on their feet, singing along, dancing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

I wasn't sure if I would know all their songs ... but I did.   I was amazed that I knew every word to most of them.     Their music, ranging from the Airplane's "Somebody to Love" to the Starship's lovely ballad, "Miracles," are so familiar -- if you were to put together a soundtrack for my generation's lives ... it would all be there.    

I took a LOT of pictures!   

I sat on the pier behind the stage at one point and the sound was just as good from there!

Jefferson Starship put on an excellent show that was enjoyed by all, and I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to see them.   (And I got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge again on the way home.)

--Lesley

Comments

[Kim]

The photo's are fantastic, nice shot!

[Michelle]

Great review, Lesley, is that really what White Rabbit was about? ;) Love the pics, too - where's my LG Phone??

[Dr. Goofy]

Lesley you made me feel like I was at the concert. What fun and you do a great job with that phone camera. I'm impressed. What could you do with a REAL camera?

[julie]

What a great review......the pictures were fantastic !! I can't believe what a beautiful day they had for the concert. Since I consider San Francisco to be the BEST, I especially loved the picture of the Golden Gate bridge ! I'm sorry that your blogs are going to be ending. Billboard needs to hire you as a permanent concert critic !!

[Lauren]

why wasn't I invited?

[dione]

what amazing pictures of sausalito!!!!!! and that of the golden gate bridge...i know that you hear this from me all the time...there is no way a camera phone took these pictures!

[Die Hard Hippie Chick]

I was at the Monterey Pop Festival this year and seen themplay there. I had a great time. I currentlu live in florida and bought tickets to see them at the Mizner Amphitheater on October 6th, 2007 d-toursinc.com

Peace

[Andrew Rosenthal]

Sun. Sept. 2nd was my 59th birthday. And what was my present? A most pleasant and euphoric surprise hearing, "Somebody To Love", "It's No Secret", "White Rabbit"(thank you Alice..), and "We Can Be Together" with 50 to 100,000 others in Golden Gate Park. The sound, the energy, the extremely high quality of Starship's set brought tears to this 'ol hippy's eyes!!! "sounded better than the record", lol Wow! Holy motherfuckin fantastic! Starship is BAD!!!!! flew me right back to '67!!!! I'm definitely gonna be there high noon the embarcadero 2/7/'08!!!!
Peace
P.S. And Lesley, great work!!!!

[DD]

Living like a rockstar. Rock on with your LG phone and Billboard Press Pass. Why do all great things have to come to an end?! Great while it lasted!!! Now that the addiction is in full swing you'll have to support your own habit like the rest of us! :)

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