Signe Anderson - vocals
Marty Balin - vocals, percussion
Paul Kantner - vocals, guitar
Jorma Kaukonen - lead guitar
Jack Casady - bass
Spencer Dryden - drums
This particular run of shows featured Jefferson Airplane opening a bill that featured the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and legendary bluesman Muddy Waters. Jefferson Airplane was beginning to diversify their sound, allowing Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady to experiment more. Vocalist Signe Anderson, who had helped to establish the group's identity, would depart a few weeks later.
Following Bill Graham's introduction, they begin in humorous form, with a brief nod to The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" before launching into an engaging improvisational jam. This jam is utterly unique and displays the band's growing confidence and willingness to create new music on the fly. The band is certainly reaching for new territory here. They would continue to experiment by opening with improvisations relatively often in the weeks to come.
The "Tobacco Road" that follows has considerably more dynamic instrumentation than its studio counterpart, with Casady, unlike the majority of bass players, clearly becoming a major force in the groups overall sound. In addition to several other tracks from the group's debut album, we're also treated to an embryonic takes on Marty Balin's "Don't Let Me Down" and "Go to Her," both new additions to the band's ever-growing live repertoire.
Played for the first time two nights before, Donovan's homage to San Francisco and Jefferson Airplane in particular, "Fat Angel" is given its second live reading. It again features Paul playing acoustic guitar and while not as spacey or evolved as this number would inevitably become, it's a sure sign that the group's approach is diversifying and becoming far more adventurous.
After acknowledging the other bands that will be performing on the bill, they close with "High Flying Bird," before relinquishing the stage to Muddy Waters Blues Band.
Read more about Jefferson Airplane in Crawdaddy!:
"Rediscovering Rock and Roll, A Journey: Chapter 13"
"The Golden Road: A Report on San Francisco"
"Good Riddance to the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love"
"Alexander 'Skip' Spence: Oar"
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