Monday, July 27, 2009

October-December 1969 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane XIII-End)














As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This final post covers known shows from October through December 1969.

October 4, 1969 Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK (two shows)
Jefferson Airplane

October 5, 1969 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX “Rock Jubilee”
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Byrds/Poco

The Sons of Champlin were originally on the bill, but did not play the show. The show ended at 10 pm with the plug getting pulled on the Airplane.

October 10, 1969 Agrodome, Vancouver, BC
Jefferson Airplane/Ace of Cups

October 11, 1969 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA
Jefferson Airplane/Ace of Cups

October 24-25-26, 1969 Winterland, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Sons of Champlin/Doug Kershaw

October 31, 1969 The Forum, Los Angeles
Jefferson Airplane

Possibly The Moody Blues opened.

November 1, 1969 Elysian Park, Los Angeles
Jefferson Airplane

Presumably a free concert

November 2, 1969 [venue], Big Sur, CA
Jefferson Airplane

Both the November 1 and 2 dates are dubious, particularly the locations.

November 11-2, 1969 East Town Theater, Detroit, MI (canceled?)
Jefferson Airplane/The Sons/King Crimson

This gig is very hard to confirm, and was likely canceled. The Airplane played the East Town a few days later, on November 15, and King Crimson played November 12 at a different venue (The Grande Riviera, supporting The Band).

November 15, 1969 East Town Theater, Detroit, MI
Jefferson Airplane/King Crimson

A show was scheduled on November 14, 1969 and apparently canceled. Clearly the Airplane played a show or two in Detroit this week, but exactly when is murky.

November 21, 1969 The Palestra, U. Penn, Philadelphia, PA
Jefferson Airplane/Lighthouse

November 22, 1969 Ritchie Coliseum, U. of Maryland, College Park, MD
Jefferson Airplane

Fall 69 [Utica Coliseum?], Utica, NY
Jefferson Airplane

Known from an fM broadcast on WOUR, Utica, New York.

November 26-29, 1969 Fillmore East, New Yok, NY
Jefferson Airplane/Youngbloods/Joseph Eger’s Crossover

November 30, 1969 International Raceway, West Palm Beach, FL
First Annual West Palm Beach Music and Art Festival
Jefferson Airplane/numerous others

“First Palm Beach Music and Arts Festival” A three-day festival (November 28-30, 1969). Headline acts included The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Sly and The Family Stone, Steppenwolf, The Byrds and Country Joe and The Fish.

December 6, 1969 Altamont Speedway, Livermore (free concert)
Rolling Stones/Grateful Dead/Jefferson Airplane/Flying Burrito Brothers/Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young/Santana

The Airplane appear briefly in the movie Gimme Shelter.

Decemer 31, 1969 Winterland, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Sons of Champlin/Hot Tuna

9pm to 9am with breakfast.

The Airplane continue touring and recording, but my research at 1969. For a good snapshot of subsequent Jefferson Airplane shows from 1970 to 1989, see the list here.

These thirteen posts represent all the live Jefferson Airplane shows known to me from 1965 to 1970. I am sure there are numerous missing shows, particularly outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Any corrections, additons, insight or recovered memories (real or imagined) gratefully received.

[the photo above is a wire photo from the December 8, 1969 edition of the Lowell (MA) Sun]

Sunday, July 26, 2009

July-September 1969 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane XII)


















As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from July through September 1969.

July 6, 1969 Bullfrog Music Festival, near Estacada (Clackamas County), OR
Jefferson Airplane/Sons of Champlin/Ace of Cups/Portland Electric Zoo Band/Family Tree/Mixed Blood/other local bands

A 3-day festival (July 4-5-6) held outside Oregon City (about 20 miles south of Portland) on private land at Bullfrog Lake Trailer Park.

July 7, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Ace of Cups/Phoenix

This Monday night show was a benefit for the forthcoming (and ultimately canceled) Wild West Rock Festival in Golden Gate Park.

July 19, 1969 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
Jefferson Airplane/Blue Cheer/Hello People

July 27, 1969 Balboa Stadium, San Diego
Jefferson Airplane/Sons of Champlin/Ten Years After/Congress of Wonders

July 28, 1969 Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Jefferson Airplane/Sons of Champlin/Ace of Cups

A Monday afternoon free concert. The LA Police attended, in full riot gear.

August 2, 1969 Atlantic City Racetrack, Mays Landing, NJ
Atlantic City Pop Festival

American Dream/Tim Buckley/The Byrds/Booker T. and The MGs/Hugh Masakela/Butterfield Blues Band/B.B. King/Lighthouse/Creedence Clearwater Revival/Jefferson Airplane/Aum

A three-day festival (August 1-2-3). The bands listed here are the ones that played on August 2.

August 8-9, 1969 Fillmore East, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane/Joe Cocker &The Grease Band/Spontaneous Sound

August 10, 1969 Central Park, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane/Santana

Jorma and Jack sit in with Santana for some numbers.

August 12, 1969 Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA
Jefferson Airplane/B.B. King/The Who/Christopher Tree’s Spontaneous Sound

A Bill Graham production at the summer home of the Boston symphony.

August 17, 1969 Max Yasgur’s Farm, Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, Bethel, NY

The Airplane appear at about 5 am on day three of the Festival. The camera staff falls asleep, helping to account for the band’s absence in the movie. Nicky Hopkins sits in on grand piano.

September 1, 1969 International Speedway, Baton Rouge, LA
New Orleans Pop Festival

Jefferson Airplane/The Byrds/Chicago Transit Authority/County Joe and The Fish/Grateful Dead/Janis Joplin/others

According to Grateful Dead organist Tom Constanten, members of the Airplane sat in with the Grateful Dead. Their is an existing Dead tape, but it is clipped at the end, so we don't have any further details.

September 6, 1969 Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco
Grateful Dead/Jefferson Airplane (?)

I have never seen a poster for these shows (for any acts), and the dates are derived from tape boxes in the Grateful Dead vaults. The Grateful Dead very well may have played on Saturday, September 6, and there may have been a sort of jam the next day (a partial tape survives from Sep 7 69, with Garcia, Kaukonen, Casady, Joey Covingtom and others).

There is an Airplane tape circulating as Sep 6, and Garcia and Hart jam with them. It is possible the Airplane played that day—or both days—but it doesn’t seem likely to me. I think the extant tape is misdated from another show (possibly Oct 24, 1969).

[the image is a wire photo from the Lowell (MA) Sun edition of August 24, 1969]

For the next installment, see here.

January-June 1969 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane XI)


As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from January through June 1969.

January 14-15, 1969 Grande Riviera Ballroom, Detroit, MI
Jefferson Airplane

>February 1969. RCA releases the Jefferson Airplane’s fifth album Bless Its Pointed Little Head. It is the band’s first live album, recorded at the Fillmore West (October) and Fillmore West (November) in Fall 1968.

[the excerpt above is from Sandy Stert's "Platter Chatter" column in the (Van Nuys, CA) Valley News from February 7, 1969].


March 8, 1969 Civic Auditorium, Honolulu, HI
Jefferson Airplane

March 17, 1969 Winterland "Monster Jam" Benefit for Rancho Olompali 
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Sons of Champlin/Red Mountain
Rancho Olompali had been the home of the Grateful Dead in the Spring of 1966. Subsequently it housed a commune called The Chosen People, but the commune got busted and the mansion burned down. A Monday night benefit was held at Winterland to cover their bills. The Berkeley Barb reported that the Airplane, the Dead and the Sons were all expected to play.

April 4, 1969 Gil Coliseum, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR
Jefferson Airplane

After a long layoff (by sixties standards) the Airplane return to touring.

April 13, 1969 The Matrix, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane (uncertain)

I do not believe this to be an Airplane show, although it appears on various lists. I believe Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were playing at the Matrix, possibly with other Airplane members. While the pair are performing in local clubs, they are not yet known as Hot Tuna, but I think it has led to confusion in the Airplane chronology.

Aynsley Dunbar, in town because he is playing Fillmore West with his own band, jams with Jorma and Jack.

April 26, 1969 Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino
Jefferson Airplane

April 27, 1969 Coliseum Arena, Oakland
Jimi Hendrix Experience/Jefferson Airplane/Fat Mattress

Jack Casady joins in with the Experience on bass for some jamming, allowing Noel Redding to switch to guitar.

May 2-3, 1969 Winterland, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Mongo Santamaria

May 7, 1969 Polo Grounds, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

May 9, 1969 Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS
Jefferson Airplane

May 10, 1969 The Graffiti, Aurora, IL
Jefferson Airplane

May ?, 1969 [Dane County Coliseum?}, Madison, WI
Jefferson Airplane

May ?, 1969 [venue], Milwuakee, WI
Jefferson Airplane

May 14, 1969 Grant Park, Chicago, Il
Jefferson Airplane

A free show, attended by 50,000 people (mentioned in Got A Revolution).

May ?, 1969 [Aragon Ballroom?], Chicago, IL
Jefferson Airplane

May 16, 1969 [venue], New Orleans, LA
Jefferson Airplane

Jack Casady was arrested after this show.

May 17, 1969 Pirate’s World, Dania, FL
Jefferson Airplane

May 24, 1969 Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ
Jefferson Airplane/Iron Butterfly

Photos exist of this show, and are accessible here.

May 24 or 25, 1969 Family Park, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose Northern California Folk-Rock Festival
Jimi Hendrix Experience/Jefferson Airplane/Chambers Brothers/Led Zeppelin/Eric Burdon/Spirit/Canned Heat/Buffy St. Marie/Youngbloods/Steve Miller/Chuck Berry/Muddy Waters/Taj Mahal/Noel Redding (and Fat Mattress)/Lee Micheals/Blues Image/Santana/Aum/Elvin Bishop/Poco (Pogo)/People/Lynn County/Loading Zone/Sweet Linda Divine/Cat Mother/Doc Watson/New Lost City Ramblers

The Airplane played the free festival (below) on Sunday morning (5.25.69), but its not clear if they played the San Jose festival on Saturday night or Sunday. I think the most likely scenario is that the Airplane played Phoenix on Saturday night, flew to San Jose and played the free festival as a prelude to a Sunday afternoon show at the Fairgrounds.

May 25, 1969 practice field, San Jose State College Aquarian Family Festival
Ace of Cups/All Men Joy/Birth/Beggars Opera/Boz Skaggs/Crabs/Crow/
Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band/Devine Madness/Denver/The Doobie Brothers/Elgin Marble/Flaming Groovies/Frumious Bandersnatch/Gentle Dance/Greater Carmichael Traveling Street Band/Glass Mountain/High Country/Jefferson Airplane/Joy of Cooking/Last Mile/Libras/Lamb/Living Color/Linn County/Mother Ball/ Morning Glory/Mad River/Mt. Rushmore/Nymbus/Old Davis/Red Grass, Green Smoke/Rubber Maze/ Rising Tide/Rejoice/Sunrise/Sable/Sons of Champlin/Sounds Unlimited Blues Band/ Sandy Bull/The Steve Miller Band/ Stoned Fox/South Bay Experimental Flash/Throckmorton/
Tree of Life/Weird Herald/Womb/Warren Purcell/Zephyr Grove/

A three day (May 23-24-25) free concert put on in conjunction with (and in contrast with) the Folk-Rock Festival at the Fairgrounds, less than a mile away. Per the wikipedia entry

Terms of the agreement with the University required that people could be present only during the performance of music. Because part of the purpose of the concert was to provide a safe place to stay for tens of thousands of people traveling to town to attend another concert being held in town about a mile away at the Santa Clara County fairgrounds, music had to be performed continuously from the start at 12:00pm Friday until the close of the festival at 4:00pm Sunday afternoon. Thus the festival featured 52 hours of continuous music.

The festival was produced in 10 days at a total cost of $968 by approximately 30 people who were volunteers with the Institute for Research and Understanding whose Dirt Cheap Productions unit produced the concert. Assistance was also given by the musicians' cooperative Druid Corporation House and the San Jose Free University. Legal services were paid for by the band Led Zeppelin which did not perform at the [free] festival. Independent sources estimated attendance at 200,000 people, with 80,000 spending the night on Saturday.

There is some uncertainty as to which groups exactly played. Mad River, for example, had just broken up (possibly they were contacted, and then broke up). Most of these groups are “second-tier” club bands from the South Bay or East Bay. Two stages were constructed so that bands could set up while another was playing, in order to fulfill the obligation that people could be present only when bands were playing. According to one of the organizer’s website , however, the Airplane showed up Sunday morning and played an extended set. Jimi Hendrix dropped by, hoping to jam, just as the stage was being dismantled and never got the chance.

May 28, 1969 Winterland, San Francisco, CA "People's Park Bail Benefit"
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Creedence Clearwater Revival/Santana/Elvin Bishop/Bangor Flying Circus/Aum

June 5, 1969 Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, TX
Jefferson Airplane/Zachary Thaks/Jim Jones and The Chanteys/The Electric Kiss

June 6, 1969 Earl Warren Showgrounds, County Fairgrounds, Santa Barbara
Jefferson Airplane/Steve Miller Band/Pulse

June 13-14, 1969 Family Dog at The Great Highway, San Francisco
The Charlatans/Jefferson Airplane

The Airplane were broadcast on KSAN-fm. This was the opening of Chet Helm’s new Family Dog venue.

For the next installment, see here.

October-December 1968 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane X)


As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from October through December 1968.

October 3, 1968 [venue], New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane Whitney Museum Benefit

October 6, 1968 [venue], Clarkson College, Potsdam, NY
Jefferson Airplane

October 24-25-26, 1968 Fillmore West, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Ballet Afro-Haiti/A.B. Skhy

November 9, 1968 [venue], Long Beach State, Long Beach
Jefferson Airplane/Spirit/Chicago Transit Authority/Collectors/others

Probably an outdoor show, since it started at noon.

November 16, 1968 Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
Jefferson Airplane

November 19, 1968 [Manhattan Hotel], New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane

The Airplane attempted a rooftop concert atop a 9-story hotel, but they created a nuisance and were shut down by the police.

[the article above is an AP wire article from the November 20, 1969 edition of the Salina (KS) Journal]

November ?, 1968 [venue], Cleveland, OH
Jefferson Airplane

November 24, 1968 Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI (two shows)
Jefferson Airplane/The Frost

November 28-29-30, 1968 Fillmore East
Jefferson Airplane/Buddy Guy/Chuck Davis Dance Co.

Jack Casady temporarily joins Country Joe and The Fish for a few dates in December ’68 and January ‘69, filling in for the ill Mark Ryan.

For the next installment, see here.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

May-September 1968 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane IX)



















As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.
(This amazing photo of the Jefferson Airplane playing at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, September 15, 1968 courtesy of Harrie Verstappen)

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from May through September 1968. [dates that have been added since the original post are shown as added]

May 3-4, 1968 Fillmore East, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane/Crazy World of Arthur Brown
For some reason, Spencer Dryden was not present for the last few dates, and Canadian drummer Jeff Cutler filled in at Fillmore East. Cutler was in a Toronto band called Jon Lee and The Checkmates, then based in Philadelphia, who would morph into a group called Rhinoceros. Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell also sat in for one of the encores.

May 5, 1968 Central Park, New York, NY (afternoon free concert)
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Butterfield Blues Band
I assume Jeff Cutler, or someone, sat in on drums. 

May 8, 1968 Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Charlatans/Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks/It’s A Beautiful Day “Fire Dance” Alton Kelly Benefit

The Grateful Dead were scheduled, but did not play (they were elsewhere). Possibly the Steve Miller Band took their place.

May 17, 1968 Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento
Jefferson Airplane

May 18, 1968 Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, Santa Clara
Jefferson Airplane/Big Brother and The Holding Company/Grateful Dead/Steve Miller Band/Youngbloods/People/Sons of Champlin/Crome Syrcus/Transatlantic Railroad/Indian Head Band/Mourning Reign
Northern California Folk-Rock Festival

The first day of a two-day festival.

May 18, 1968 Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles
Grateful Dead/Steve Miller Band/Taj Mahal

The Jefferson Airplane appeared as unannounced guests.

May 25, 1968 Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino
Jefferson Airplane/Iron Butterfly/Boston Tea Party

June 7-8-9, 1968 Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac were billed, but almost certainly did not appear, as their first American tour was delayed.

On Sunday, June 9, the Dead and The Airplane attempted to play Speedway Meadows, in honor of Bobby Kennedy, but they were blocked by the police who insisted that the Cub Scouts permit superseded their interests.

June 12, 1968 Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Steve Miller Band/Charlatans/Dan Hicks [added]

July 5, 1968 [venue], Tucson, Arizona canceled
July 6, 1968 Lagoon Terrace, Salt Lake City, UT canceled
The Lagoon Terrace show was made up on August 14.

July 12, 1968 [venue], Montreal, QE
Jefferson Airplane [added]

July 13, 1968 [venue], Asbury Park, NJ
Jefferson Airplane [added]
The most likely venue would be Asbury Park Convention Center.

July 19-20, 1968 Fillmore East, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane/H.P. Lovecraft

July 21, 1968 [venue], McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Jefferson Airplane/Kensington Market/Bittergarden

July 23, 1968 Keil Convention Hall, St. Louis, MO
Jefferson Airplane

July 24, 1968 [venue], Chicago, IL
Jefferson Airplane [added]

August 2, 1968 Selland Arena, Fresno, CA
Jefferson Airplane/Thermal Vibration/Just Another Rock Group

The promotional photo above is for this show, from the July 28, 1968 edition of the Fresno Bee.

August 4, 1968 Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, CA Newport Pop Festival
Jefferson Airplane/Country Joe and The Fish/Grateful Dead/Elecric Flag/Canned Heat/Iron Butterfly/Steppenwolf/Things To Come/Illinois Speed Press (Sonny & Cher canceled).

This was a two-day festival (August 3-4). Big Brother and The Holding Company also played one of the days, though they were unbilled.

August 10, 1968 Community Concourse, San Diego
Jefferson Airplane

August 14, 1968 The Lagoon, Salt Lake City, UT (7:00 and 9:30 shows)
Jefferson Airplane

This was probably to make up for a canceled July 6 show.

August ?, 1968 Grant Park, Chicago, IL
Jefferson Airplane

August ?, 1968 Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, NY
Jefferson Airplane

August 28, 1968 Falkoner Centret, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jefferson Airplane/Beefeaters

August 29, 1968 Revolution Club, London, England
Jefferson Airplane

Possibly a private party.

August 30, 1968 [venue], Brussels, Belgium
Jefferson Airplane

August 31, 1968 Hayles Field, Ford Farm, near Godshill, Isle of Wight, UK
Jefferson Airplane/Crazy World of Arthur Brown/The Move/Pretty Things/Tyrannosaurus Rex/Fairport Convention

Sepember 4, 1968 Parliament Hill, Hempstead Heath, London, England (free concert)
Jefferson Airplane/Fairport Convention

September 6, 1968 The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, England (two shows)
Jefferson Airplane/The Doors/Terry Reid/Blossom Toes

The Doors and The Airplane alternated headlining each night.

September 7, 1968 The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, England
The Doors/Jefferson Airplane/Crazy World of Arthur Brown/Blonde on Blonde

September 6-7, 1968 Middle Earth Club, Covent Garden, London, England
Jefferson Airplane

I’m not sure about the conflicts with The Roundhouse on the 6th and 7th. The Airplane may have played late shows at Middle Earth.

September 10, 1968 Musikhalle, Hamburg, Germany
The Doors/Jefferson Airplane

September 12, 1968 [venue], Dusseldorf, Germany
Jefferson Airplane

September 14, 1968 Kongresshalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Jefferson Airplane/The Doors/Canned Heat

Photo: Harrie Verstappen
September 15, 1968 Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Holland
The Doors/Jefferson Airplane/Terry Reid

Possibly there are two shows, or possibly the Airplane play an early set for Dutch radio. Some of the Airplane’s performance is broadcast on VPRO-fm. Jim Morrison succumbs to Amsterdam’s ‘charms’ and does not appear with the Doors, so Ray Manzarek handles the vocal chores this night (the photo above is from the Concertgebouw on this night).

September 20, 1968 Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden
The Doors/Jefferson Airplane/Terry Reid/Savoy Brown

>September 1968. RCA releases the Jefferson Airplane's fourth album, Crown Of Creation.

September 29, 1968 Central Park, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane

October 3, 1968 [venue], New York, NY Whitney Museum Benefit
Jefferson Airplane

October 6, 1968 [venue], Clarkson College, Potsdam, NY
Jefferson Airplane

For the next installment, see here.

January-April 1968 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane VIII)


As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from January through April 1968.

January 30-February 1, 1968 The Matrix, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane

February 23-24, 1968 Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles
Jefferson Airplane/Charlie Musselwhite/The Ceyleib People/Clear Light

March 8-9, 1968 MelodyLand Theater, Anaheim
Jefferson Airplane and Friends (2 shows)

The ‘friends’ were the Grateful Dead.

March 15-16-17, 1968 Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

March 22-23, 1968 The Kaleidoscope, Hollywood
Jefferson Airplane/Canned Heat/Fever Tree

The Kaleidoscope was at 6230 Sunset, at Vine. It had formally been the Hullabaloo, and before that a television studio ("Queen For A Day" was shot there). It had a rotating stage, and was a small but unique venue. Canned Heat's management were the main promoters of the venue.

Buffalo Springfield were on the bill but canceled these two nights. Fever Tree replaced them, a band from Houston who would soon have a hit with “San Francisco Girls.”

March 24, 1968 The Kaleidoscope, Hollywood (afternoon)
Buffalo Springfield/Jefferson Airplane/Tiny Tim/H.P. Lovecraft/ Steppenwolf/ Sweetwater/Firesign Theatre/Clear Light/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Peanut Butter Conspiracy/Genesis
Benefit for Radio Strike fund for KMPX and KPPC djs

March 24, 1968 The Kaleidoscope, Hollywood (evening show)
Buffalo Springfield/Jefferson Airplane/Canned Heat

>March 26, 1968 MelodyLand Theater, Anaheim
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead
This date shows up on Deadlists, but for various reasons I think it is confused with the March 8-9 booking of the same two bands at the same place.

March ?, 1968 Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ
Jefferson Airplane

March 30, 1968 Bovard Auditorium, USC, Los Angeles
Jefferson Airplane/Iron Butterfly

April 27, 1968 North Dartmouth Park, Cambridge, MA “Spring Weekend”
Jefferson Airplane

April 28, 1968 Shapiro Athletic Center, Brandeis U. Waltham, MA (Two shows)
Jefferson Airplane/Iron Butterfly

The poster says “Also: from SF-Iron Butterfly.”

April 30, 1968 The Kaleidoscope, Hollywood
Jefferson Airplane/Canned Heat

There is some reason to doubt the Airplane's presence, as the band are more likely on the East Coast. The source of this date was a poster, and 60s posters were not always good representations of who actually played.

[The graphic is from the Bobbie Ashley's column in the March 10, 1968 Oxnard Press Courier]

For the next installment, see here.

September-December 1967 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane VII)


As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from September through December 1967.

September 1, 1967 Community Concourse, San Diego
Jefferson Airplane/Marsha and The Esquires

September 2, 1967 [Civic Auditorium?], Bakersfield, CA
Jefferson Airplane

The Airplane chartered a plane so they can fly back to San Francisco and catch Cream at the Fillmore.

September 15, 1967 Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Big Brother and The Holding Company
“Bill Graham Presents the San Francisco Scene in Los Angeles”

September 23, 1967 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA
Jefferson Airplane/Youngbloods/Magic Fern/International Brick
“Saturday Night At The Fillmore”

September 28, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
September 29-30, 1967 Winterland, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Mother Earth/Flamin Groovies

October 7, 1967 Earl Warren Showgrounds, County Fairgrounds, Santa Barbara
Jefferson Airplane/Hour Glass/Spirit

October 11, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Blue Cheer/Charlatans
Benefit for Haight-Ashbury Medical Clinic

October 12, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
October 13-14, 1967 Winterland, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Blue Cheer/Charlatans

October 15, 1967 Hughes Stadium, Sacramento
Jefferson Airplane/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Strawberry Alarm Clock/Hour Glass/Spirit/Sunshine Company/Hamilton Streetcar/Breed
1st Annual Sacramento Pop Music Festival

October 19, 1967 Warfield Theater, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane

Although probably a movie theater at the time (and occasional used for stage shows), this venue at 982 Market Street would become a well-known San Francisco concert venue starting around 1979, and with some remodeling it remains so today. I do not know who the promoter was.

October 20, 1967 [venue], Hunter’s College, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane/The Paupers

The Paupers may have canceled.

October 21, 1967 Penn Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
Jefferson Airplane/The Paupers

October 29, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Mother Earth/Mad River/The Committee

This was a Proposition P Benefit, not a Bill Graham Presents show.

November 7-8, 1967 Family Dog, Denver, CO
Jefferson Airplane/The Other Half

December 2, 1967 Back Bay Theater, Boston, MA
Jefferson Airplane

It is likely that as the Airplane began to tour nationally, there were a lot of shows that remain undocumented.

>December, 1967. RCA Records releases the third Jefferson Airplane album, After Bathing At Baxter’s (LPM-1511, LSP-1511). It will reach #17 on the album charts.

[the graphic above is from The Hayward (CA) Daily Review of December 24, 1967]

For the next installment, see here.

May-August 1967 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane VI)


As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from May through August 1967.

May 5, 1967 Gym, Contra Costa College, San Pablo, CA 
Jefferson Airplane
This rather obscure Junior College (near Richmond) was presenting regular rock concerts in the Spring of 1967.

May 6, 1967 Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley
Jefferson Airplane/Dick Gregory

May 7, 1967 [Frost Amphitheatre], Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 
Jefferson Airplane
Ralph J. Gleason reported that the Airplane played Stanford this afternoon, so I have assumed they played Frost. They may have played this date instead of March 5.

May 7, 1967 Freeborn Hall, UC Davis, Davis, CA (evening)

Jefferson Airplane/Steve Miller Blues Band

May 11, 1967 [venue], Cowell/Stevenson Dining Commons, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA “Spring Thing”,
Jefferson Airplane

I have somewhat clarified the facts surrounding the UCSC "Spring Thing." The campus-wide event was held from Thursday May 11 thru Sunday May 14. The capstone was a Jefferson Airplane concert at the Coconut Grove in Santa Cruz, open to the public and advertised in the San Francisco Chronicle. The memory of the commenter below (of the Airplane playing "Under My Thumb" in the Dining Commons) suggests that the Airplane played the Campus proper on the night of Thursday May 11. Since the band had an upcoming Fillmore date, the campus show would not have been formally advertised.

May 12-13-14, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (14th afternoon)
Jefferson Airplane/Paupers

May 14, 1967 Panhandle, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (afternoon)
Jefferson Airplane/others

Ralph J Gleason, in his Ad Lib column on Friday, May 12, says that the Airplane and others will play the Panhandle (just on the edge of Golden Gate Park). If the Airplane did indeed play, it would mean they played the Panhandle for lunch, headlined the Fillmore for dinner and played Santa Cruz (below) at night.

May 14, 1967 Coconut Grove, Santa Cruz, CA
Jefferson Airplane/Flowers Of Evil/American Tragedy

The University of California at Santa Cruz was the system's newest campus, and lacking a football team, they had to find other forms of amusement ("Mescaline Tuesday" was a tradition well into the 1970s, for example). The culmination of their 4-day "Spring Thing"was a Jefferson Airplane concert at the hall on the beachside boardwalk, supported by two student bands.

An ad from the San Jose State newspaper, The Spartan Daily from May 12, 1967
May 18, 1967 Civic Auditorium, San Jose
Jefferson Airplane/Rainy Daze/Chocolate Watchband/Lewis and Clark Expedition

May 19, 1967 Men’s Gym, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Jefferson Airplane/Circus

May 20, 1967 Birmingham Stadium, Van Nuys
Jefferson Airplane/The Doors/Merry Go Round/Peanut Butter Conspiracy/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Standells “Pepsi Boss Battle of the Bands”

The Doors open the show (they have a gig at the Whisky), and a third of the 10,000 people leave after their 6:00 pm set.

May 21, 1967 Mission Garden, University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara (1:00 pm)
Jefferson Airplane/Cal Tjader/Vince Guaraldi

May 26,1967 Carver Gym, Western Washington State College, Bellingham, WA
Jefferson Airplane/Safety Patrol

Safety Patrol would soon become Fat Jack. At this time, Kathi McDonald, recently of Bellingham band The Unusuals, was their lead vocalist. Possibly this show was on the 25th.

May 27, 1967 Richmond Arena, Richmond, BC "Vancouver Trips Festival"
Jefferson Airplane/Collectors/Painted Ship/Magic Fern

May 28, 1967 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
Jefferson Airplane/The Byrds/PH Phactor Jug Band/Magic Fern

May 29, 1967 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA
Jefferson Airplane/The Byrds/Don and The Good Times/Magic Fern/Crome Syrcus

May 30, 1967 Winterland, San Francisco HALO Benefit
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Big Brother and The Holding Company/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Charlatans

HALO (Haight-Ashbury Legal Organization) was basically just Brian Rohan and Michael Stepanian, and it was based at 715 (or possibly 710) Ashbury.

Parts of this show were broadcast on KMPX-fm, probably after the fact. The Dead and the Charlatans probably did not play. In Tom Donahue’s introduction to Quicksilver, he says “all three bands will play twice.” He also refers to a “mystery guest from a far-off land.” The Quicksilver and Airplane sets circulate.

>June, 1967 RCA Records releases “White Rabbit”/”Plastic Fantastic Lover” (RCA Victor 47-9248). It will reach #8 on the Billboard charts.

June 4, 1967 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX
Jefferson Airplane

June 5, 1967 Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, TX
Jefferson Airplane/Jim Jones and The Chanteys/Zachery Thaks
June 9, 1967 Wonderland Skating Rink, Fresno, CA
Jefferson Airplane
This show is known from an article in the June 1, 1967 Fresno Bee (above). The paper notes that the show will be on the last day of school.

June 10, 1967 Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, CA
Jefferson Airplane/Heads and Tails/Captain Speed

June 11, 1967 Mt. Tamalpais Theater, San Rafael
Fantasy Fair and Magic Music Festival-Benefit for Hunter’s Point Child Care Center
Lamp of Childhood/Sons of Champlin/Captain Beefheart/New Salvation Army Banned/Hugh Masakela/PF Sloan/Marvin Gaye/Jefferson Airplane/The Grass Roots/Steve Miller Band/Tim Buckley

This show lays claim to being the first outdoor mult-day pop festival, preceding the Monterey Pop festival by a week. Originally it was scheduled for the weekend of June 3-4, but it was rescheduled for the next weekend (June 10-11) due to rain.

The Mt. Tam Theater is a beautiful natural amphitheatre on top of a hill. Fans were bused to the top of the hill, since there is almost no parking. The large crowd (probably small by today’s standards) overwhelmed the facility, and rock shows stopped being held at this beautiful site (although at least one previously scheduled event on July 1-2, 1967 took place).

June 17, 1967 Horse Show Arena, Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey (evening show) Monterey Pop Festival
Otis Redding/Booker T and The MGs (with the Mar-Keys)/Jefferson Airplane/Laura Nyro/Butterfield Blues Band/The Byrds/Hugh Masakela/Moby Grape

Besides the band’s scheduled Saturday night performance, members of the Airplane almost certainly joined the impromptu jamming on the small stage at the impromptu campgrounds across the road at Cypress Community College athletic field.

June 20-25, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Gabor Szabo/Jimi Hendrix Experience
At least some of the nights (possibly all but the first night), Jefferson Airplane did not play because someone in the Airplane was sick. Big Brother replaced the Airplane on the bill. The apocryphal, if unlikely story (told to me by someone who went) was that Jorma was intimidated by Hendrix.

June 21, 1967 Speedway Meadows, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
"Summer Solstice Festival
"
Jefferson Airplane/Big Brother and The Holding Company/Grateful Dead/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Mad River

The Diggers styled this a “Do-In” as opposed to a Be-In. There were multiple stages. Peter Vincent identifies the Airplane as as playing in his 1967 diary .

June 30, 1967 Ford Auditorium, Detroit, MI
Jefferson Airplane/The Rationals/The Apostles/MC5/Ourselves

July 1, 1967 Civic Opera House, Chicago, IL
Jefferson Airplane

July 2, 1967 Field House, Beloit College, Beloit, WI
Jefferson Airplane

July ?, 1967 South Florida 4H Youth Club Convention, Miami, FL Jefferson Airplane
Amazingly, a Commenter recalls
Every summer the 4H kids would have a cow and pig contest at the South Florida 4H youth fair held 10 miles south of Miami way out in the sticks on Kendall Drive. So I go out there to eat some corn dogs and smell the odors of the farm just for kicks and who is playing to about 50 people in the "youth tent."
I have assumed the date--it could have been anytime in the Summer.

July 15, 1967 Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim
The Doors/Jefferson Airplane/Merry Go-Round

There were 2 shows at 3:00 and 8:30. I had not been certain that the Airplane played the afternoon show, but a Commenter recalls them for certain.

July 16, 1967 Devonshire Meadows Raceway, Northridge, CA
Fantasy Fayre and Magic Music Festival
Solid State/Humane Society/Sunshine Company/Butterfield Blues Band/Country Joe and The Fish/Heather Stones/New Delhi River Band/Jefferson Airplane/Sunshine Company/Thornshield/Merry-Go-Round/Canned Heat

This was the second day of a two day festival (Saturday July 15 and Sunday July 16). The bands are listed above as part of Sunday’s running order from 10:00am-7:00pm, known from a photo of the show’s schedule (the site of the race track is now the North Campus of Cal State Northridge).

July 17, 1967 Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA 
Jefferson Airplane

July 19, 20, 21, 1967 Convention Hall, Minneapolis, MN ‘Happening 67’
Jefferson Airplane/Buffalo Springfield/Electric Prunes/Shadows of Knight

Its not clear if the Airplane played one of the shows or all of them.

July 22, 1967 Convention Center, Asbury Park, NJ
Jefferson Airplane

July 23, 1967 Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Ontario (free concert)
Jefferson Airplane/Luke and The Apostles/Spring Garden Road

Bill Graham shrewdly had the Airplane play for free in anticipation of the upcoming week of shows. Since there were no FM radio stations in Toronto, it was his best chance for publicity.

July 27-28-29, 1967 Broadmoor International Center, Colorado Springs, CO
Jefferson Airplane
Two shows on Saturday July 29. A Commenter recalled one of the shows.

July 31-August 5, 1967 O’Keefe Center, Toronto, Ontario
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Luke and The Apostles
“Bill Graham Presents the San Francsico Scene in Toronto”

August 4, 1967 Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Ontario (afternoon show)
Jefferson Airplane

August 6, 1967 Place Ville Marie, Montreal, Quebec (free afternoon show)
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

Graham publicized this evening’s Montreal show with a free concert in the afternoon. The idea of popular performers “giving it away for free” was unheard of at the time.

August 6, 1967 Expo 67, Montreal, Quebec
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

August 7, 1967 Eastman Theater, Rochester, NY
Jefferson Airplane

August 8, 1967 Civic Center, Springfield, MA
Jefferson Airplane/CC And The Chasers

>August, 1967. RCA Records releases “Ballad of You And Me and Pooneil”/”Two Heads” (RCA Victor 47-9297). The song does not chart. Single releases are not noted hereafter.

For the next installment see here.

January-April 1967 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane V)


As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through 1965 and 1966. The first post in the sequence is here. This post covers known shows from January through April 1967.

January 8, 1967 Webster Hall, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane

This show was an RCA Promotional Party in Greenwich Village. At the end of the evening, Mike Bloomfield and other members of the Butterfield Blues Band joined the group for a jam.

January 11-15, 1967 Basin Street West, San Francisco
Dizzy Gillespie/Jefferson Airplane

Basin Street West was an established jazz club in North Beach, on 401 Broadway. Presumably this was some kind of prestige gig for the Airplane. One night was reviewed in Russ Wilson's Jazz column in the January 12, 1967 Oakland Tribune. The ad above is from the January 13 Tribune.

January 14, 1967 Polo Grounds, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco Human Be-In
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Country Joe and The Fish/The Charlatans/Sir Douglas Quintet/Loading Zone

This Saturday afternoon gig featuring “acid, incense and balloons” gets significant TV coverage and displays San Francisco as a hippie mecca to every restless teenager from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine.

January 26, 1967 Santa Venetia Armory, San Rafael
Jefferson Airplane/Morning Glory

>February 1967. RCA Records releases “Somebody To Love”/”She Has Funny Cars” (RCA Victor 47-9140). It will reach #5 on the Billboard charts.

February 3-4, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Dino Valente

February 5, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco Delano Strike Benefit
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Country Joe and The Fish/Loading Zone/Dino Valente/New Delhi River Band.

February 18, 1967 Gym, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY
Jefferson Airplane/Daily Flash

Seattle’s Daily Flash had a month-long residency (Jan 29-Feb 26) at a club called Ondine’s in Manhattan, and took time out to open this gig.

February 21-March 5, 1967 Café Au Go Go, New York, NY
Jefferson Airplane/Richie Havens/The Paupers

Café Au Go Go was a basement club in Greendwich Village. It was a regular stop for hip bands through the summer of 1967, until the rock business simply got too big for clubs. Richie Havens opened the first week (through Feb 26) and The Paupers opened the second week (Feb 27 thru March 5).

The Paupers were one of the best bands in Toronto, and they were represented by Albert Grossman (Bob Dylan’s manager). Supposedly, the Paupers outshined the Airplane, so even though the Airplane were making their Manhattan debut, the Paupers got a huge boost as a result.

Tim Buckley and Charles Lloyd Quartet were also billed on March 5th, suggesting that the Airplane had already gone home to California.

March 5, 1967 Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto
Jefferson Airplane

Comedian and Activist Dick Gregory may have been on the bill. Note the conflict with the Au Go Go this night, which is why I think Charles Lloyd and Tim Buckley were billed at the Au-Go-Go on this date.

March 10-11-12, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (11th Winterland, 12th afternoon).
Jefferson Airplane/Jimmy Reed/John Lee Hooker/Stu Gardner Trio

Ralph Gleason reports in the Chronicle (March 13, 1967) that Grace Slick has had surgery on her vocal chords and that the Airplane will be on hiatus for about three weeks.

March 19, 1967 Concert Hall, Mills College, Oakland
Jefferson Airplane

An article in the Oakland Tribune of March 25, 1967 (in the "Teen Age" section) explained that this was the culmination of a two-day conference at Mills on Rock and Roll, featuring Ralph Gleason and Phil Spector, among others. Gleason himself reports (on March 29) that the Airplane performed with Grace Slick, interestingly enough.

>March 25, 1967 RCA Records releases Surrealistic Pillow (LPM-3766, LSP-3766), the band’s second album. It will reach #3 on the Billboard album charts.

March 27, 1967 Richmond Arena, Richmond, BC Vancouver Trips Festival
Jefferson Airplane/Collectors/Painted Ship/Magic Fern

April 7, 1967 Gym, University of San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Buffalo Springfield

Presented by St. Ignatius High School, which was historically associated with USF. The USF Gym was in walking distance of the Panhandle in the Golden Gate Park.

April 8,1967  Merced County Fairgrounds, Merced Jefferson Airplane/Andrew Staples

April 11, 1967 The Matrix, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Sparrow

Possibly also April 12 and 13. The Sparrow, a band from Toronto but living in Sausalito at the time, would soon move to Los Angeles and reconstitute themselves as Steppenwolf.

April 12, 1967 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Moby Grape/Andrew Staples/Loading Zone “Busted” Benefit for the San Francisco Mime Troupe

The Airplane may have also played at The Matrix this night (along with The Sparrow).

April 14-15-16, 1967 The Kaleidoscope at Ciro’s, Hollywood
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Canned Heat

April 21, 1967 Commonwealth Armory, Boston, MA Festival of American Music
Jefferson Airplane/Pete Seeger/Dave Van Ronk (7:30 pm)

April ?, 1967 The Unicorn Coffee House, Cambridge, MA

The Harvard Crimson (May 15, 1967) has an interview and description of an Airplane performance at The Unicorn, but its hard to say exactly when the show occurred. It must have been near the publication date, but there are no specifics in the article. The Airplane probably played multiple dates in the Northeast in late April/early May, so the Unicorn gig could have been in April or early May.

For the next installment, see here.

October-December 1966 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane IV)



































As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through the end of 1965, and early and middle 1966. This post covers known shows from October through December 1966.

September 23-24-25, 30, October 1-2, 1966 Fillmore/Winterland
Jefferson Airplane/Butterfield Blues Band/Muddy Waters

September 23 and 24, as well as September 30 and October 1 (the Friday and Saturday night shows) were scheduled for Winterland, and the September 25 and October 2 (Sundays) were Fillmore afternoon shows. However, due to riots in the Fillmore district, the October 1 (Friday) show was rescheduled from Winterland to the Fillmore, but was still only attended by a few hundred people.

October 6, 1966 Basketball Pavilion, Stanford University, Palo Alto
Jefferson Airplane/Butterfield Blues Band

On this day, the state of California declared LSD illegal.

The basketball pavilion (on the corner of Serra and Galvez) was built in 1921, and had a basketball capacity of 1,200. It was superceded by the newer Maples Pavilion in March, 1969, but now hosts various other Stanford sports under the name Burnham Pavilion. An eyewitness reported that Mike Bloomfield played Jorma’s Guild instead of his customary Fender.

The promotional photo above (note “Jerome” Kaukonen and “Diane” Anderson) was from the Hayward Daily Review on September 29, 1966.

October 7-8-9, 1966 Winterland, San Francisco (9th was an afternoon show)
Butterfield Blues Band/Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

October 8, 1966 Pacific Jazz Festival, Costa Mesa, CA
Jefferson Airplane/Muddy Waters/Big Mama Thornton/Memphis Slim/Shakey Horton

The Airplane must have flown down for the afternoon “Blues” show, and returned for the evening’s Fillmore show. In the days of less crowded skies, playing afternoon and evening gigs in Northern and Southern California was common.

October 14-15-16, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (16th afternoon)
Butterfield Blues Band/Jefferson Airplane/Big Mama Thornton

Bill Thompson had bought Grace Slick out of the Great Society’s contract for $750, and RCA and the band had bought out Signe for $6000. Saturday night (October 15) was Signe’s last show with the Airplane, and the band presented her flowers on stage. An apocryphal story had Signe not showing up at all on Friday night, forcing Grace to step in early. In this version of the story, Grace is nervous until she realizes that on stage the Airplane play so loud that she can’t hear herself sing. Delicious as that story is—Grace probably told it—it isn’t actually true. Signe played the first two nights at the Fillmore, and Grace’s first performance with the Jefferson Airplane was the early show on Sunday, October 16, 1966.

At this point, the ‘classic’ Airplane has taken shape. The lineup is

Marty Balin-vocals
Grace Slick-vocals
Jorma Kaukonen-lead guitar
Paul Kantner-guitar, vocals
Jack Casady-bass
Spencer Dryden-drums

According to Mojo Navigator, the Saturday night show goes on until 3:00am with a ‘Butterfield Airplane’ jam. At one of these shows (probably the 15th), Steve Miller, a guitarist from Madison, WI, via Dallas and Chicago, newly arrived that night in San Francisco from Austin, TX, spends his last few dollars to see old friend Paul Butterfield play the Fillmore. He is invited on stage to jam, and gets an ovation when he announces that he is planning to stay in San Francisco.

October 19, 1966 Civic Center Opera Guild Fol De Rol Benefit
Jefferson Airplane

This was a ‘society’ dance, featuring many non-rock acts as well.

October 22, 1966 [venue], UC Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, CA
Jefferson Airplane/Syndicate of Sound

October 23, 1966 [venue], [city], Iowa
Jefferson Airplane

This is described in Jeff Tamarkin’s book. Kantner says “all the kids came in prom gowns and tuxedos.”

October 24-27, 1966 The Matrix, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/The Only Alternative And His Other Possibility

October 28, 1966 Slip Madigan Gym, St. Mary’s College, Moraga
Jefferson Airplane/Patty Phillips & The Chosen Four
The show was promoted by The Associated Students of St. Mary’s College. St. Mary’s College was a Christian Brothers College in the suburbs just over the hill from BerkeleyThe Airplane’s booking is another sign that the ballroom bands are expanding their sphere of influence beyond San Francisco and a few hip college towns (Moraga was and is decidedly unhip). I do not know who Patty Phillips and The Chosen Four were.

October 29, 1966 The Matrix, San Francisco Jefferson Airplane
The Airplane play a show for their fan club at The Matrix, probably an afternoon show since otherwise  many of their teenage fans would not be allowed. Ralph Gleason describes it in his October 31 column in the San Francisco Chronicle. According to him, their new "girl singer," Grace Slick, "has excellent stage presence, projects warmly and has charm." Gleason mentions two songs, Skip Spence's "My Best Friend" and "The White Rabbit." He predicts "great success." Got that right.

November 6, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Daemon Lover
The Associated Students of San Francisco State Coming Home present an “Edwardian Ball”

San Francisco State, known in the Haight as "Stoner U," still had a football team and a homecoming dance. The students capped their weekend of entertainment with a Sunday evening dance at the Fillmore, headlined by the Airplane (Muddy Waters and Quicksilver had played a regular Sunday afternoon show as part of their weekend stand).

November 9, 1966 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC
Jefferson Airplane/Muddy Waters/Tom Northcott Trio

November 25-26-27, 1977 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (27th afternoon)
Jefferson Airplane/James Cotton Blues Band/Moby Grape

December 1-11, 1966 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood
Jefferson Airplane/Peanut Butter Conspiracy

There is some confusion about the exact dates of the Airplane’s run at the Whisky. Bookings at the Whisky were often subject to change, so it is not surprising that different flyers exist. The last word (so far) comes from Mark Skobac, who found a reference in the November 25 LA Times that says the Airplane’s 11 day run would begin on Thursday December 1.

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy were similar to the Airplane, with harmonies and a female singer. Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden had been in the group when they were called The Ashes.

December 16-17-18, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium (18th afternoon).
Jefferson Airplane/Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band/Tim Rose

December 28, 1966 Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
Beach Boys/Jefferson Airplane/Sopwith Camel/The Seeds/Music Machine/Royal Guardsmen

The ad above is from the Oakland Tribune, December 18, 1966.

December 30-31, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Quicksilver Messenger Service

For the next installment, see here.

Friday, July 24, 2009

May-September 1966 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane III)




















As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installments listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through the end of 1965, and early 1966. This post covers known shows from May to September 1966.


May 6-7, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/The Jaywalkers

Airplane drummer Skip Spence had taken an abrupt trip to Mexico without telling the band. He supposedly told manager Mathew Katz, who did not tell the band members. The Airplane wanted to replace him, but after they could not find a drummer in San Francisco--as everyone was already forming a group--Katz found a replacement in Los Angeles in Spencer Dryden . Dryden had played with jazz groups in strip clubs, so he was well-prepared. Dryden had been in an LA band called The Ashes (who later became Peanut Butter Conspiracy). Revealingly, Dryden had heard of the Airplane, but never actually heard them.

Spence, in the spirit of the times, agreed to teach Dryden all his drum parts. These shows appear to be the first where Dryden was ‘around,’ and Spence seems to have drummed throughout May. On one hand, it was a cheery admission from Spence that he was never really a drummer anyway. In any case, Mathew Katz was trying to form a new band with Spence as a singing guitar player, so it was easy for the Airplane and the likable Spence to remain friends.

>May 1966 RCA Records releases “Come Up The Years”/”Blues From An Airplane” (RCA Victor 47-8848)


May 14, 1966 Coconut Ballroom, Santa Cruz
Jefferson Airplane/Flowers Of Evil/American Tragedy “Spring Thing”

The University of California had opened a new campus in Fall 1965 in the sleepy seaside resort town of Santa Cruz, generating a modest ‘scene’ that coalesced around The Barn in Scotts Valley. The Coconut Ballroom was a regular venue for Teen shows. The Airplane was rare amongst underground bands in that they played both ‘Teen’ and ‘Underground’ venues, but the title “Spring Thing” suggests (by various roundabout pieces of evidence) that it was an end-of-year event for UC Santa Cruz students.

May 22, 1966 Cabana Hotel, Palo Alto
Jefferson Airplane
Peninsula Volunteers “Step N Time” Gala

The Cabana Hotel was Palo Alto’s ‘nice’ hotel. This was a society charity fashion show, yet another sign of how psychedelic consciousness was creeping into regular life. (Grace Slick herself had been a Palo Alto debutante). An eyewitness, who played in a local band also on the bill, said the Airplane played around the pool. The hotel only provided two wimpy speakers for the PA, and the Airplane borrowed the opening band’s PA instead.

Another eyewitness, high school student David Biasotti (among many other things, a former guitar student of Jerry Garcia), reports that the Airplane opened with instrumentals, presumably addressing the PA situation. At the end of the show, Skip Spence threw his sticks into the crowd and announced he was leaving the band.

(The promotional photo for the event, above, is from the Society Pages of the May 3, 1966 issue of the San Mateo Times).

May 28, 1966 Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz
Jefferson Airplane/Mystery Trend/Flowers of Evil

May 30-31, June 1-4, 1966 The Matrix, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane

June 4, 1966 Civic Auditorium, San Jose
Jefferson Airplane/William Penn and His Pals/E Types
“Dance and Ecodelic Trip”

This show often appears on Airplane lists as the San Francisco Civic Auditorium (based on a note in the Art of Rock book), but in fact the poster merely says “Civic Auditorium” and it is the San Jose Civic Auditorium. The promoter was probably Chocolate Watch Band and E-Types manager Ron Roupe (or someone associated with him). This would have been Skip Spence’s last known gig as the Airplane’s drummer.

June 6, 1966 Sheraton Palace Hotel, San Francisco
Private Event for the Republican Party

This gig was booked by Mathew Katz over the band’s fervent objections. This was Spencer Dryden’s first gig as the Airplane’s drummer. The Airplane’s lineup is now

Marty Balin-vocals
Signe Toly Andersen-vocals
Jorma Kaukonen-lead guitar
Paul Kantner-guitar, vocals
Jack Casady-bass
Spencer Dryden-drums

June 10-11, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Great Society/Heavenly Blues Band

The Heavenly Blues Band were from Raleigh, NC but did not actually make the gig due to an illness in the band.

June 24, 1966 Cow Palace, Daly City
Beach Boys/Lovin Spoonful/The Byrds/Jefferson Airplane/Percy Sledge/Chad and Jeremy/Sir Douglas Quintet/Neil Diamond/The Leaves/The Sunrays
“KFRC Beach Boys Summer Spectacular Concert”

June 27-28-29, 1966 Tivoli Ballroom, Seattle, WA
Jefferson Airplane

The scheduling of these gigs is described in detail in Jeff Tamarkin’s Airplane bio Got A Revolution (Atria Books 2003). Airplane manager Mathew Katz had made a deal with a “powerful disc jockey,” probably Pat O’Day. The Seattle Musicians Union tried to enforce a rule that only allowed five musicians on stage, but the Airplane refused to comply.

July 1-2, 1966 Losers North, San Jose
Jefferson Airplane/Jackie DeShannon

Losers North was a club/ballroom that opened in San Jose, near or on the Almaden Expressway. It had formerly been known as The Hawaiian Gardens. Most of the SF ballroom bands played there in the summer of 1966. Confusingly, it was part of a complex that also included a venue called Losers South. The venue never caught on, both because of the terminal unhipness of San Jose and the fact that Losers South was apparently notorious for not paying its acts (and no doubt, unlike the Avalon would not even give unpaid bands a kilo of weed).

>July 3-4, 1966 ASUC 9th Annual Folk Music Festival

July 3, 1966 Pauley Ballroom, UC Berkeley
Jefferson Airplane/Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach/Alice Stuart Thomas/The Gypsies
“Special Gypsy Fiddle Program”

The Airplane’s role in the Gypsy Fiddle Program remains unknown.

July 3, 1966 Pauley Ballroom, UC Berkeley
Jefferson Airplane/Country Joe and The Fish/Greenbriar Boys
“Dance Happening”

July 4, 1966 Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley
Pete Seeger/Jefferson Airplane/Robert Pete Williams/Greenbriar Boys/Alice Stuart Thomas/Sam Hinton/Charley Marshall/Phil Ochs/John Fahey

Marty Balin arranged the booking at the folk festival, and Katz was in fact resentful since it conflicted with dates Katz had lined up in Seattle.

July 15-16-17 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (July 17 is an afternoon show).
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

July 22-23, 1966 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Great Society

July 26, 1966 Cow Palace, Daly City
Rolling Stones/Standells/McCoys/Trade Winds/Jefferson Airplane/Sopwith Camel

The Airplane snuck Jerry Garcia backstage as a member of their crew so that he could see the Stones.

July 29, 1966 Rollarena, San Leandro
Jefferson Airplane/Soul Venders/System of Soul

The Rollarena was a skating rink on East 14th in San Leandro, about 10 miles south of Oakland. The promoter was Bill Quarry, who promoted many ‘Teen’ shows under his TNT (Teens N Twenties) banner.

August 2-5, 1966 Losers South, San Jose
Jefferson Airplane/Big Brother and The Holding Company

Great Society played instead of Big Brother on the 5th. The poster implies that the Airplane also play the 6th and 7th.

August 12-13, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead

August 17, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Mimi Farina/The Only Alternative And His Other Possibility
“Psychedelic Fashion Show” presented by The Mod Hatter in Mill Valley.

August 18-21, 1966 Mother Blues, Chicago, IL
Jefferson Airplane

These gigs were in a folk club in Chicago, arranged by Mathew Katz before he was fired by the Airplane. Marty Balin’s roommate, Bill Thompson, was drafted as manager temporarily to “talk to the straights”, a role he would hold for the next 25 years. During this dismal week, Signe Andersen tells the Airplane manager that she will “take care of business” but she is quitting the band, forcing the Airplane to look for a new singer. Jeff Tamarkin’s books has a vivid description of these gigs. The exact number of dates is unknown to me.

August 24-28, 1966 Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood
Jefferson Airplane

Jeff Tamarkin describes the measured indifference of Los Angeles to the new San Francisco sound.

>In September 1966, RCA releases the band’s first album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off (LPM-3584, LSP-3584). Jeff Tamarkin puts the release date at August 15.

September 2-3, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/PH Factor Jug Band/Andrew Staples

A flyer exists for a show at the Highlands A-Go-Go in Clear Lake, promoted by Bill Quarry, featuring Jefferson Airplane/Mojo Men/Mother's Kookies/Project Hope. Quarry was a big East Bay promoter, and Bill Graham focused on vanquishing his rivals, so I suspect that Graham won out and booked the Airplane.

September 3, 1966 Monterey County Fairgrounds Arena, Monterey (afternoon)
Butterfield Blues Band/Muddy Waters/Memphis Slim/Jefferson Airplane

The Airplane played a set at the Saturday afternoon blues segment of the annual Jazz Festival. Jeff Tamarkin has this date as September 17.

September 11, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jon Hendricks Trio/Elvin Jones/Joe Henderson Quartet/Big Mama Thornton/Denny Zeitlin Trio/Jefferson Airplane/Great Society/Wildflower
Benefit for Both/And jazz club.

Great Society lead singer Grace Slick’s star quality is obvious to the Airplane, too, and she seems like the ideal replacement for Signe Andersen. After her marriage to Airplane light show man Jerry Andersen, new mom Signe is under pressure to retire from performing. At this show, Jack Casady approaches Grace Slick about replacing Andersen in the Airplane, and she agrees to join. In the September 18 edition of Mojo Navigator (issue #6), the Rumors column reports that Great Society have broken up. This show is the last performance of the Great Society.

September 23-24-25, 30, October 1-2, 1966 Fillmore/Winterland
Jefferson Airplane/Butterfield Blues Band/Muddy Waters

September 23 and 24, as well as September 30 and October 1 (the Friday and Saturday night shows) were scheduled for Winterland, and the September 25 and October 2 (Sundays) were Fillmore afternoon shows. However, due to riots in the Fillmore district, the October 1 (Friday) show was rescheduled from Winterland to the Fillmore, but was still only attended by a few hundred people.

For the next installment, see here.

January-April 1966 Jefferson Airplane Performance List (Airplane II)

As a result of my research into other areas of Rock Prosopography, I have ended up with a fairly detailed list of Jefferson Airplane performances from 1965-69. Since I have no other plans for it, I am posting it here. This list leans heavily on the posted Jefferson Airpane set lists document by Scott Abbott, as well as information from Jeff Tamarkin’s fine book Got A Revolution, but it includes considerably more shows. Please forward any changes, updates, advice or criticism.

The previous installment listed known shows from Jefferson Airplane’s formation through the end of 1965. This post covers known shows from January to April 1966.

In early 1966, the members of The Jefferson Airplane were

Marty Balin-vocals
Signe Toly-vocals
Jorma Kaukonen-lead guitar
Paul Kantner-guitar, vocals
Jack Casady-bass
Skip Spence-drums

January 8, 1966 California Hall, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/The Charlatans

Another Family Dog promotion.

January 14-15-16, 1966 Kitsilano Theatre, Vancouver, BC
Jefferson Airplane/Tom Northcott Trio

Vancouver (another West Coast seaport town) had a booming scene, now less remembered but vibrant and self-sustaining in its own right.

February 4-5-6, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Mystery Trend/Quicksilver Messenger Service and others
“Sights and Sounds of the Trips Festival”

The first commercial Bill Graham show.

>February 1966 RCA Records releases the Airplane’s first singe “It’s No Secret”/”Running Round This World” (RCA Victor 47-879). RCA is nervous that the line “the nights I’ve spent with you have been fantastic trips” (from the b-side) refer to drug use.

February 8-13, 1966 The Matrix, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane

February 19, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Big Brother & The Holding Company

This was a Bill Graham/Chet Helms co-promotion. They would soon become rivals.

March 4-5, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service

I have seen a reproduction of the poster, but no promoter is named.

March ?, 1966 Civic Auditorium, San Jose
Ramsey Lewis/Jefferson Airplane

Ramsey Lewis was a jazz pianist who generally played with a trio, the bassist and drummer of whom would lead the group Young Holt Unlimited.

March ?, 1966 University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA
Jefferson Airplane

The date is approximated. An eyewitness attended the show. Jorma had gone to the University of Santa Clara, graduating in 1964 with a degree in Sociology.

March ?, 1966 Athletic field, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz
Jefferson Airplane

This date comes from a newspaper clip file at Skip Spence’s old high school in San Jose. Skip Spence was definitely with the Airplane (marking the show as early 66), but the exact date is unclear. This was the first academic year that UC Santa Cruz was open.

March 25, 1966 Harmon Gym, UC Berkeley
Jefferson Airplane/Mystery Trend/Morning Fog
“Vietnam Day Committee Peace Trip”

April 1-2, 1966 Harmon Gym, UC Berkeley
Jefferson Airplane/The Skins/Quicksilver Messenger Service/The Exiles
Delano Grape Strikers Benefit

The flyers for this weekend are confusing and contradictory. Nonetheless it is possible that the bands played multiple shows in Berkeley and San Francisco throughout the weekend. These shows were advertised in the Berkeley Barb. Its not clear if different bands played different days, or if the Airplane played both days. In any case, since they had shows at The Fillmore, the Airplane would have played the benefits at UC Berkeley before heading across the Bay Bridge to the Fillmore.

April 1, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service/Family Tree

April 2-3, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (April 3rd was an afternoon show)
Jefferson Airplane/The Hedds

April 7, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium
Jefferson Airplane/Russian Poet Andrei Voznesensky/Lawrence Ferlinghetti

April 8, 1966 California Hall, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Quicksilver Messenger Service

April 9, 1966 Veterans Memorial Hall, Santa Rosa
Jefferson Airplane/The Hideaways

The Hideaways were a Sacramento band. The Airplane played “Teen” dances as well as Fillmore shows. This was more common than may be realized, as the Fillmore shows are mainly recalled from posters, and Teen shows usually had unimpressive “boxing style” posters.

April 15, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Butterfield Blues Band/Jefferson Airplane

April 16, 1966 Harmon Gym, UC Berkeley
Butterfield Blues Band/Jefferson Airplane

April 17, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco (afternoon show)
Butterfield Blues Band/Jefferson Airplane

April 29, 1966 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane/Lightnin Hopkins/The Jaywalkers

For the next installment see here.