THROUGH THE YEARS WITH THE
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE &
JEFFERSON STARSHIP,
1979 - 1990s.
When my friend John Reise and I decided to "get away for awile" in 1976 and
go to California, one of the factors in choosing San Francisco was the music scene. Many
of our favorite bands from the 60s were from San Francisco and the Bay Area - the Grateful Dead, Santana,
Quicksilver Messenger Service, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival,Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, and of course
the Jefferson Airplane which evolved into the Jefferson Starship. We figured with all these great bands coming
from the area, it must be a great place to live.
The following photographs were shot during
various concerts in San Francisco from 1979 to the early 1990s. The first few photographs are from
the Jefferson Airplane reunion concert in Golden Gate Park. The others are from various Jefferson Starship
shows in the city.
THE JEFFERSON AIRPLANE IN GOLDEN GATE PARK: |
Growing up in New York in the 1960s and early 1970s I read about
the free Jefferson Airplane concerts in Golden Gate Park in Rolling Stone Magazine
and the Grateful Dead book. I felt I missed out on something and dreamed about there
being just one more while I lived here. After living in San Franscisco for 13 years my dream came
true. In 1989 the original members of the Jefferson
Airplane decided to do a new album and a reunion tour together. I got to see them five
times during the tour. One of their last concerts was a free one in Golden Gate Park.
In the photo above Grace Slick sings at the Jefferson Airplane reunion in at the Polo Fields in
Golden Gate Park in September 1989.
Grace Slick and Marty Balin sing a duet in Golden Gate Park in September 1989. Were they singing "Miracles?"
A young girl dances (left) while a few fans drum along to the music. The Airplane concert in the park was free. Over 100,000 people showed up.
The radio station KSAN sponsered a free concert with the Jefferson Starship at the end of Market Street in 1979.
This version of the band had Mickey Thomas on vocals instead of Marty Balin.
From left to right, it's Paul Kantner, Mickey Thomas singing, Craig Chaquico and Peter Sears.
Pete Sears (left) and Craig Chaquico jam on a song at the 1979 concert.
Paul Kantner (left) plays guitar while Mickey Thomas sings lead vocals at the 1979 concert.
From left to right, it's Pete Sears, David Freiberg and Craig Chazuico jamming together at the 1979 Jefferson Starhip concert.
Grace Slick performs with the Jefferson Starship at the Kabuki Theater in San Francico in the
early 1980s.
When Paul Kantner left the Jefferson Starhip in 1986 he took the word "Jefferson" with him and his former band became the "Starship." Paul went on to form the KBC Band with two other
original Airplane members - Jack Casady and Marty Balin. The photo above is from a free concert in
Golden Gate Park around 1986. I was not able to find a good print and the above photo was scanned from
the San Francisco magazine Prism where the photograph was originally published.
Paul Kantner and Marty Balin perform at the KBC show in Golden Gate Park in 1986.
In the early 1990s after the Jefferson Airplane reunion, Paul Kantner put together another
version of the Jefferson Starhip. In the photo above the Jefferson Starship perform at the
Haight Asbury Street Fair in the early 1990s. From left to right, it's Papa John Creach, Paul
Kantner and Daby Gould on vocals.
Paul Kantner sings at the Haight Asbury Street Fair in the early 1990s while Papa John Creach
plays fiddle behind him. This was the last time I saw Papa John perform. He died a few years later.