Jefferson Starship, also celebrating five decades, opened the hits-packed evening
Three iconic bands joined together for one nostalgic night of rock and roll at MGM National Harbor in Washington, D.C. on Sunday (Aug 24th). Kansas and .38 Special co-headlined the night. Jefferson Starship opened with a set of hits from every iteration of the group–Starship, Jefferson Starship, and Jefferson Airplane.
Jefferson Starship is anchored by David Freiberg, whose history with the band goes back to the Airplane days. He’s a co-writer on one of Jefferson Starship’s biggest hits, “Jane,” which they performed second-to-last in their opening set. It earned a standing ovation for Freiberg, who was celebrating his 87th birthday this night. Cathy Richardson’s haunting voice meets the formidable task of “White Rabbit,” which the crowd ate up.
.38 Special followed–their band name is stylized with a period, like the caliber of a weapon. And they fired off the hits. Original lead singer Don Barnes was in great voice all night. While Donnie Van Zant may be most synonymous with his time in the group, it is Barnes who sang on all of .38 Special’s biggest hit songs.
The band plowed through almost 20 songs in the allotted 80 minutes, a row of verilights and light bars dancing behind them. A neon version of the band’s running horse logo adorned the front of Bobby Capp’s keyboard casing. Capp also sang co-lead with Barnes on a few songs and has a real classic rock voice—he can really wail!
Barnes sounded great, his voice oozing .38 Special’s bluesy rock style. He can also shred on a harmonica and plays a mean guitar. The shredder of the group, though, is lead guitarist Jerry Riggs.
.38 Special will release an album commemorating 50 years as a band. Milestones releases on September 19th, and is their first new album in 20 years. They played the catchy mid-tempo number “All I Haven’t Said” from the record. The number could have been released 40 years ago; it fits that well in their catalogue. Five decades in and still sure of themselves, .38 Special is not holding on loosely to their musical identity.
Kansas closed out the night. Lead singer Ronnie Platt is celebrating 11 years fronting the group. And sadly, two original members who are still active behind the scenes, guitarists Rich Williams and Phil Ehart, are not touring this year. Zak Rivzi and Eric Holmquist are their stellar road replacements, respectively.
Platt has become the voice of Kansas for the new generation of fans who have kept the group on the road continuously in the 21st century. At MGM, Platt delivers a pitch-perfect performance of some of rock music’s hardest vocal songs. Often, he did so while perched behind a raised keyboard stand further upstage. Only someone confident and secure in themselves in their talent willingly leaves the center stage. That’s Platt.
If Chicago is a “rock band with horns,” as I told Platt a few years ago, Kansas is a rock band with a violin. And a funky green fiddle is between the fiery fingers of Joe Deninzon. Deninzon stood out frequently, including on “Can I Tell You Something,” and the show-opener “Point of Know Return,” where the fiddle drives the melody.
That is one of two things that make Kansas’ live sound stand out. The other is Holmquist’s double-bass kit. It adds a boom to the songs that just push the music’s deceptive intricacies that much further forward.
All three legendary bands are celebrating 50 years, none of which are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, shamefully. But each one has songs that have become part of generations of lives. And it appears all three groups will heed those weary Kansas lyrics: Carry on, my wayward sons. There’ll always be music when you are done.
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