The Jefferson Airplane were one of the pioneer bands of the psychedelic San Francisco sound and the Jefferson Airplane/Starship has had a long and sordid history along with numerous triumphs and mega-hit songs through the decades. The Airplane has been through various incarnations over the years and the original 60's rock group has spawned a number of side projects, including the Jefferson Starship. Kantner's first solo project in 1970, Blows Against the Empire, was a science fiction fantasy about hijacking a starship to escape the Earth while populating outer space with an enlightened version of the human race. The critically acclaimed release featured an All-Star lineup of players including Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Jack Casady, David Crosby, Graham Nash, David Frieberg and Peter Kaukonen.

"Blows" was released on RCA Records as Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship and eventually the name stuck. Many of the musicians on that record were present as part of these special reunion performances. As mentioned, Kantner is also interested in hyperspace and he commands the JeffersonStarshipSF.com web site. There fans can find volumes of his thoughts and writings and updates on his and the band's latest projects. Kantner advised fans through his website's message board that the New York shows would be special.

Paul Kantner - Captain of the reformed Jefferson Starship ensemble!

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the San Francisco sound, which is still popular four decades later, Kantner & CO. have been touring with Quicksilver Messenger Service and others as part of concerts referred to as the Jefferson Starship, Jefferson Airplane Family Galactic Reunion.

Quicksilver Messenger Service were also one of the original groups from the acid rock era. They were popular in the Bay area but not did achieve the same level of success that the Airplane and The Grateful Dead attained. Their first few records captured the classic San Francisco sound but by 1975 QMS had disbanded with members pursuing other interests.

A reformed Quick Silver Messenger Service opened the Saturday show. They played a one-hour set of far out instrumentals with some singing accompaniment. QMS took their songs in a number of musical directions and jams. On this occasion the band included a female percussionist, Linda Imperial, who also sang which added to the mix.

Paul Kantner and Diana Mangano shared the mic for many J.S. and J.A. classics!

During the QMS set, Diana Mangano of the Jefferson Starship came out to sing a duet with Linda Imperial. The two female voices blended well and added to the blues number that the band was playing. QMS performed familiar favorites such as 'Fresh Air' and 'Mona'. QMS closed the set with jamming after exploring a number of styles such as jazz, Latin and rock.

Marty Balin's unique range and style was one of the major voices in both the Airplane and the Jeferson Starship. In recent years, Marty has been absent from the various incarnations of the band but Balin was on had to celebrate the 40th anniversary in New York. Fans were receptive to Marty who came out with an acoustic guitar accompanied by Slick Aguilar who provided electric support. He joked that his set was the folk music between bands. Marty performed '3/5 Mile', 'I Do It For Love', 'Count on Me', 'Today', 'Runaway' and 'Rocket Launcher'. For the last two songs of Balin's set members from the Starship and QMS joined in for 'Miracles' and 'Hearts' adding extended instrumentation to both.

Since Grace Slick left the band there have been a number of female vocalists to fill her formidable spot. Darby Gould and Diana Mangano are strong singers and attractive brunettes. The two ladies, who at different times have been the featured vocalist in the Next Generation, took turns singing on various songs. They also provided harmonizing backing when Kantner came to the forefront as lead vocalist.

Marty Balin and Mark 'Slick' Aguilar shared the stage as the acoustic band!

When the Jefferson Starship finally kicked it into warp speed they launched with energized versions of 'Ride the Tiger', 'Get Together' and a lively take on 'When the Earth Moves Again'. In between songs Paul made a few caustic political comments, challenged the city's recent smoking ban, and joked about Mel Gibson, Catholic school and Republicans.

The ensemble then moved into the dramatic 'Shadowlands' aptly handled by Darby. 'Lawman' was a good follow-up before they slowed it down with 'Lilith's Song', which was well sung by Diana. They closed the first set with 'The Light'.

Peter Kaukonen took the stage equipped with his guitar and proved that mad finger-style skills run in his family. He played an animated acoustic set utilizing various techniques to get diverse textures and tones from his instrument. Peter is a skilled musician able to get rich, multi-faceted chords from the fret. Peter also made a few social-political comments in between his spirited instrumentals. Kaukonen's short set was impressive and Peter ended it on a high note with his own unique sung-spoken version of 'All Along the Watchtower'.

The Starship crew returned to the stage after midnight to play a mix of their own songs, covers and tracks from the infamous "Blows". Darby and Diana continued to share vocals and various players from earlier in the evening were on stage to help with the jamming. The set included lots of classics from the 60's plus the Airplanes' knock-out tracks 'White Rabbit' and the set closer 'Somebody to Love'. The word reunion well summarizes the concerts at BB Kings. The shows featured both old and new players from the various and varied periods in the Airplane/Starship history. It was a celebration of the San Francisco sound and the music that shaped a generation while continuing to influence people today!

Peter Kaukonen played a rapid and blistering set of finger-style offerings!

Our major complaint about the Saturday night voyage with the Jefferson Starship was the keeping of the Captain's log as the show quickly got off schedule and never got back on course. Kantner had posted a tentative agenda with start times for each band's set and indicated that his outfit would be onstage at 11:20 p.m. for their extended second set. But several long intermissions and longer than planned sets by the first two acts played havoc with those plans.

As promised, Kantner had something special for the fans but the historic performance of the "Blows Suite" that featured Kaukonen and other members of the Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra was a trip that many fans just couldn't make.

To the disappointment of many fellow travelers Paul Kantner had commanded his ship more like Buzz Light Year than Captain Kirk on this night as the Blow Suite didn't even begin until one in the morning with the journey finally complete by 1:30 a.m. Fans who had to rely on humanity's antiquated system of mass transit where the last bus or boat out of Gotham occurs at 1 missed the best ride of the night!

David Freiberg and Gary Duncan played many QMS favorites!

Related Links: For more information on Jefferson Starship and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- Jefferson Starship | Buy Live CD | Buy Fly DVD | Marty Balin Online | PeterKaukonen.com | QMS Today Online | www.bbkingblues.com

(Originally Published on August 15, 2006)