I first saw Jefferson Airplane in May 1967. They were doing as show at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore. with The Byrds. PH Phactor was providing the light show. They were amazing. The harmonies between Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and Marty Balin were rich in tone and powerful in delivery. These musicians really had a sense of the poetic and they were adventurous and they weren't afraid of addressing controversial issues i.e. the treatment of the environment or oligarchic political leaders.
Two years later, I would see them again in 1969 at the Bull Frog Festival in Estacada, Ore. It was quite a scene. The stage was half on land and half over the water of the lake. I remember turning my back from the stage and looking at over twenty-thousand people, a lot of them in altered states of consciousness through the glare of the Gary Ewing light show. It was indeed an apocalyptic scene. Jefferson Airplane headlined and they came on stage at midnight and played well over two hours. I was literally sitting at Grace Slick's feet; she had an American flag draped over her shoulders like a shawl (it was the fourth of July) and Paul Kantner was guiding the whole operation about 12 feet away. He would always play his Rickenbacker guitar, really driving a hard rhythm section. A lot of the lyrics to Jefferson Airplane compositions were penned by Paul Kantner.
"Got to learn to leave the planet be.
No more room here to mess around like we did before,
Just maybe one chance to leave it be." - "Sunfighter"
Years later again, I would see Jefferson Starship with Grace, Paul and Marty also featuring David Freiburg of the former Quicksilver Messenger Service. As a group they were always drawn to science fiction heavily influenced by Robert Heinlen, Arthur Clarke and others.
The final time I saw Jefferson Airplane was in 1989 at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, Wis. This was billed as a reunion tour. Jefferson Airplane played a long show, about three hours, two sets from the band with an interesting intermission set from Hot Tuna Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady. I remember that it was a fine show, the best of psychedelia that you could ask for, but you also got the sense that this was near the end. After that, Grace Slick would leave and become a painter.
Jefferson Airplane would continue in various incarnations through the 1990s and in into the 2000s. They were scheduled to tour fairly extensively throughout this year. Now, that Paul is gone, it is unclear if the aircraft will take off again and who will be the personnel.
All I know is that when Jefferson Airplane was in flight, they were quite a sight to behold. They were a committed band boldly proclaiming a vision of the counter-culture for the 1960s and 1970s. They were also collaborators working with other musicians like The Grateful Dead, David Crosby, Graham Nash. They were also distinct with utilizing their unique three part harmony vocal arrangements.
I'm sorry that Paul is dead. He was quite the musical force. My thoughts are with Grace and his daughter China and his two sons.
The sun fighter has faded. It was a wild time, filled with "acid, incense and balloon." (Saturday Afternoon). I'm hoping that the legacy of Jefferson Airplane may continue in some new form.
Keep climbing, Keep flying.
May it be so.