Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30, 2024: (L-R) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jack Casady (bass) and Jorma Kaukonen (guitar) of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna onstage at Lobero Theatre. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images) Many rock groups from the sixties and seventies still tour, even though they’re getting long in the tooth. I won't name any here, but maybe they have one original member whose musical skills have devolved, and trade on the band's name - in essence, are shadows of their former selves.
Last night, I saw a group, Hot Tuna, that neither trades on its heritage nor has compromised musical talent. Hot Tuna is one outgrowth of the 1996 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group Jefferson Airplane. Its members include Jorma Kaukonen, lead guitarist, and bassist Jack Casady.
The other outgrowth was Jefferson Starship, which included vocalists Grace Slick and Marty Balin, and guitarist Paul Kantner. Starship went the pop route, with top-40 hits like “We Built This City" and “Miracles” (Slick once told me that "We Built This City" is the worst rock song ever recorded). Tuna stayed more true to its blues roots, not achieving the commercial success of Starship, but receiving critical acclaim.
First the show, at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Maryland. Tuna played two sets to a sold-out, mostly male crowd. The line to the men's room during intermission was longer than that to the women's.
Classic Tuna tu.