Jefferson Starship

 

  So on a whim I went with a co-worker who looks a lot like Geoffery Holder of Live and Let Die and various 7-Up commercials at the tiny venue of "The Stargazer" which is set-up like a mid-'60s Vegas lounge, complete with large tables and candles and cognac to see Jefferson Starship.  Many remember when they were Jefferson Airplane (such songs as White Rabbit, and Don't You Want Somebody to Love) and later as simply Starship (We Built This City on Rock and Roll) though Starship was a solo project by a disgruntled keyboardist in the '80s.


         
  We got amazingly good seats, sitting back a bit at about 15 feet or so.  I ordered nachos and a Blue Moon beer before the show (we were early) and then later a Hennessey cognac for the actual show.  New singer Cathy Richardson is absolutely amazing and during the song, Jane played a cowbell with a backwards drumstick.  Nicely at first, exploring the space as it were, then started wailing on it, damaging the stick, then eventually placing the cowbell on the floor and beating the living hell out of it on all fours (well, threes anyway, as she was using the stick as a war-club, wild-eyed, hair akimbo).  Wow.  Just, wow.  It was worth the 30 bucks just for that.  I had to stand in awe and slow-clap, mouth agape.

  The remaining members of the band are ancient at best.  They had several technical problems as they used guitars without locking-nuts causing out-of-tune guitars every song which the techie had to replace constantly, switching out to backup-guitars and then back again, re-tuning each time.  Poor choice for this altitude and humidity, vintage Rickenbacker and Fender Stratocasters, but whatever.  Tone was good for the most-part.
  A bit overwhelming, the hippie-anthem band.  Most songs were anarchistic in nature, revolving around revolution against any form of government and embracing witchcraft and hippie-culture en-masse.  Personally, I'm not a fan of such extreme libertarianism, and felt a bit out-of-place.  I like a little structure, being Neutral Good and all.  Still, impressive fractals animated the screen behind the band in psychedelic amazement throughout.





   Didn't like the old-man singer David Frieberg who vocal-solo'ed at age 73 looked more like age 93 and sounded like 1003 as he couldn't hit one note, or the guitarist Slick Aguilar who spent 15 minutes solo'ing over Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beatles-cover which was, quite honestly in bad taste from another guitarists' point of view.  Overly self-indulgent, often playing three notes over and over to the drunken joy of the ancient audience (I was an infant to these other 70-year-olds attempting to fat-dance).  Feedback happened quite a bit as well, and yes, guitars went out-of-tune during the songs as well.


         
 

  Still, Cathy Richardson is brilliant and carries the band through.  She has intense passion and is just downright a great singer.  Not a good singer.  A GREAT singer.  Good job.

  And, of course, White Rabbit...

Thanks Mike!  You're opinion is penultimate!

Wow.