Jefferson Starship

The creator amd stars of "The Heroes of Woodstock" plan concert to highlight music performed at ill-fated 1969 festival.
Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane founder, Jefferson Starship founder and leader) is a big fan of science fiction and ardent advocate of 'alternate quantum universe theory'" muses long time manager and producer Michael Gaiman who also created this summer's highly successful "The Heroes of Woodstock" tour. "Early on" Gaiman continues, "Paul & I discovered a mutual love for Phillip… Show more K.Dick's "The Man In The High Tower," perhaps the first ever alternate universe novel." That sci-fi sub-genre has become immensely popular and frames the season finale of Fox's highly rated sci-fi TV drama "Fringe.
Following the bliss of Woodstock in 1969, a cabal of promoters including Woodstock's Michael Lang set out to do the same on the West Coast. The ill-fated Altamont Speedway Free Concert was the result and has long been a subject of academic discussion as delineating 'the end of the 1960's.' "I couldn't disagree more," argues Gaiman. "I was a bit too young to attend Woodstock, so for me and my friends, the 1960s continued well into the 1990s ... if they ever ended at all. In fact, a stroll along the canals of Amsterdam or waterfront of Lahaina on Maui or any ski town in Colorado to name a few proves that the 1960s bohemian ethic and influence on culture, fashion and commerce is very much at play."
The stellar line-up at Altamont, consisting of The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airpalne, CSNY, Santana, Flying Burritto Bros. and Grateful Dead (the latter didn't perform) was overshadowed by violence, well chronicled in the film 'Gimme Shelter.' "That bothers me a lot," says Gaiman. "After all, some great music was performed under difficult circumstances.
I believe it is possible to revisit musical touchstones, recordings, places in time and glean what is, was or could have been good. Many so called pundits told us "The Heroes" tour would fail ... that no one was interested in the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock and all that old music. We proved them wrong! Like the classics, some themes and music are timeless. When I read the Altamont set lists, it makes me wish I was there, so I suggested we throw a party on both coasts: "The Alternate Reality Altamont".

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