Jefferson Starship Landing In Triangle This September

Organizers of the visitRaleigh.com Benefit Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that Jefferson Starship, the legendary San Francisco-based rock band that was born of the original Jefferson Airplane, will kick-off the headline portion of the September 20, 2008 show at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC. Original Jefferson Airplane founders and Rock Hall inductees Mary Balin (vocals) and Paul Kantner (vocals and guitar), along with the rest of a band, will be joined on stage by Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten on hits songs ranging from “White Rabbit” to “Somebody to Love” to “Ride the Tiger.” 

Kantner and Balin will be joined by former Jefferson Starship lead guitarist Mark “Slick” Aguilar and Quicksilver Messenger Service co-founder and Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship veteran David Freiberg – who also sang one of the band’s biggest hits, “Jane.” Drummer Donny Baldwin and pianist Chris Smith will fill out the band along with its newest member Cathy Richardson, who was widely applauded for her portrayal of Janis Joplin in the Off Broadway musical “Love, Janis.”  Richardson also tours as lead vocalist with Janis Joplin’s original band, Big Brother and the Holding Co. With Jefferson Airplane, she sings lead on the many hits made famous by Grace Slick.  

Tickets to the September 20, 2008 event at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C. are now on sale via Ticketmaster and the Koka Booth box office. In addition to Jefferson Starship, other artists scheduled to perform include former members of the John Entwistle Band, accompanied by former Deep Purple and Rainbow lead singer Joe Lynn Turner, Blue Oyster Cult lead vocalist and guitarist Buck Dharma, and former original Grand Funk Railroad lead singer and guitarist Mark Farner. Legendary North Carolina bands Arrogance and The Connells are also scheduled to perform, along with a trio of emerging artists that include Supagroup, Parmalee and Grand Society.  Additional headline artists will be announced in the coming weeks.     

Proceeds from the concert will benefit both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s educational outreach and the John Entwistle Foundation’s program of providing musical instruments and music lessons to disadvantaged youths through the public library systems in communities across the country.