By Jim Harrington
jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com
It was hard to know what to expect going into the first night of Jefferson Starship’s residency at San Francisco’s Rrazz Room.
This is, after all, a Bay Area band with a very complicated storyline.
First there was Jefferson Airplane, the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act that originally broke up in 1972, which gave birth to Jefferson Starship. Then there was just plain Starship, soon followed by Mickey Thomas’ Starship, Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas and, I kid you not, Starship – The Next Generation. Toss in various reunions and side projects and, truly, it was hard to tell the players without a scorecard.
Along the way, Airplane/Starship created some of the greatest music in rock ‘n’ roll history as well as some of the most forgettable.
Whatever fans were expecting from Wednesday’s concert, however, this latest version of Jefferson Starship likely surpassed all reasonable hopes as it delivered a blistering 80-minute set filled with many of the best songs in the Airplane/Starship catalog.
Wow.
The band’s performance was magnified by the setting – the 170-capacity Rrazz at the swanky Hotel Nikko. Who would’ve ever thought this group, with several No. 1 singles and platinum records to its credit, would play an intimate nightclub best known for cabaret and jazz? This run – which continues through Sunday – is an almost unreal chance to get up close and personal with an act that once played major arenas.
Yes, of course, we are talking about a long time ago. Starship probably hasn’t been a legitimate arena-headliner since the late-‘80s. Yet, the group – which consists of vocalist-guitarists Paul Kantner and David Freiberg, vocalist Cathy Richardson, lead guitarist Slick Aguilar, drummer Donny Baldwin and keyboardist-bassist Chris Smith – is currently playing like its ready for Madison Square Garden.
This Rrazz Room stand is being sold as a historic event – marking the 2,000th performance of Jefferson Starship. Yet, it was never made clear which exact night would be the milestone show. Queries were met with vague replies – and, as it turns out, the band might not even hit the magic number during this run. The best answer I could get is that Jefferson Starship will hit its 2,000th show sometime in 2012.
That was a bit of a bummer for local fans hoping to celebrate the occasion with the band, but, fortunately, it was the only disappointment of the night.
The show opened with a solo number from the 70-year-old Kantner – the relative rarity “Alexander the Medium,” which hails from Airplane’s 1972 album, “Long John Silver” – and then the full band united for some excellent all-time fan favorites.
Nostalgia ruled throughout the evening, especially whenever Starship flew into a tune from the ‘60s. A few of the songs felt particularly dated – such as “Wooden Ships,” the Crosby, Stills and Nash song that Kantner helped compose – but not necessarily in a bad way.
Richardson, part of the Starship crew since 2008, was phenomenal throughout the show. She lived up to our treasured memories of Grace Slick on the classic Airplane cut “White Rabbit,” which pulsed with drama, and on the sophisticated Starship smash “Miracles.” Aguilar was just as good, trading off between convincingly psychedelic riffs and arena-rock-style solos.
The concert ended with double shot of two of Airplane’s best – “Somebody to Love” and “Volunteers” – both of which earned well-deserved standing ovations.
Jefferson Starship in concert
When: 8 p.m. through Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., S.F.
Tickets: $45 (800-380-3095, www.therrazzroom.com)
Follow Jim Harrington at www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews and
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