Signe Anderson - vocals
Marty Balin - vocals, percussion
Paul Kantner - vocals, guitar
Jorma Kaukonen - lead guitar
Jack Casady - bass
Spencer Dryden - drums
Guests on "Midnight Hour":
George Smith - vocal
Sammy Lawhorn - guitar
Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson - guitar
This three day run, featuring Jefferson Airplane opening and closing a bill with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and legendary bluesman Muddy Waters, comprises the second set of concerts Bill Graham ever presented at Winterland. In fact, the exact same lineup had been presented at this new, larger venue the weekend before; the performances were so well received and attended that Graham decided to repeat his success with three additional shows this next weekend.
This second show of the run starts off in similar fashion to the previous night's, with another short jam that segues directly into an electrified cover of Fred Neil's "The Other Side Of This Life." Once again, the tune is a showcase for Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, who were just beginning to take a more predominate role in shaping the band's overall sound. "Let's Get Together" and "You're Bringing Me Down," two songs from off their debut album are up next, followed by "High Flying Bird," a staple of their live repertoire at the time. All are strong, confident versions that benefit from the spontaneity of live performance. Kaukonen then fronts the group for a take on "Kansas City," a bluesy cover he favored as his showcase song during 1966. The interplay between Kaukonen and Casady is utterly unique here, and very much compelling. Although this song had a more or less ubiquitous presence in the 1966 setlists, the arrangement remained elastic enough to allow the room Kaukonen to improvise freely, and no two versions are the same. Even at this early stage, the lead guitarist was looking far beyond tightly structured material; the seeds of Hot Tuna are slowly being sown.
The earliest known live performance of the rarity "It's Alright" is next. The band was consciously utilizing this run as an opportunity to audition new material before a live audience, and in all likelihood, this was the song's debut performance. The composition, moreover, would only be performed a few times, and although later recorded in the studio, would remain unreleased until the Early Flight rarities compilation LP was released in the 1970s. It is unknown why this song was relegated to the cutting floor, as it fits right in with the material then being developed for the Surrealistic Pillow sessions, and stands up well in comparison.
The remainder of the set contains two more tracks from the first album, but also (and more significantly) the second known live performance of "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds." As on the previous night, during which it was likely debuted, the tune's taken at a slower tempo than its studio counterpart; again, it's fascinating to hear this song in such an early, embryonic form. It would soon be recorded for the Surrealistic Pillow LP, and become a staple of live sets for the rest of the group's career - a fact which makes this earlier version, performed while Signe Anderson was still the group's female vocalist, all the more interesting.
Following "It's No Secret," an even more remarkable event occurs - and one that undoubtedly was a huge surprise to everyone in attendance. To end their set, Marty Balin invites members of Muddy Waters Blues Band to the stage, who join Jefferson Airplane for a collaborative rendition of "Midnight Hour"! After getting the additional musicians situated onstage, the band launches into the number, with both of Waters' guitar players, Sammy Lawhorn and Luther Johnson, as well as George Smith, his harmonica player, accompanying. George Smith handles the lead vocals initially, with Balin taking over midway. The performance is loose and chaotic, but all the more fascinating for its spontaneity and unrehearsed exuberance. Rather than end the set proper, with the traditional short break between groups, the Jefferson Airplane members simply exit the stage and the rest of Muddy Waters Blues Band continue their set with the classic "Got My Mojo Workin'."
Unfortunately, unlike with the other shows of this run, only this first hour of the performances on this night has been located, so this recording is all that currently remains to document the 10/1/66 performance. Considering how conscientious Graham was about recording Airplane sets during October of 1966 AND the fact that their set is almost an hour long (nearly twice as long as most opening sets performed at the time), it is entirely possible that the Paul Butterfield Blues Band ran longer than expected and ended up closing the show, without an additional set by the Airplane following. Fortunately though, this opening set, as well as the utterly unique transition between those offered by Jefferson Airplane set and the Muddy Waters Blues Band, is ever here to enjoy.
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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