BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — Many Classic Rock bands from the 1970s are still out on the road, usually with at least one original member in the lineup.

While the headliner, the Marshall Tucker Band, couldn’t claim that, the Jefferson Starship could during the first show of a tour featuring these two road warriors at the Excite Center at the Parx Casino on Saturday night.

In fact, the Jefferson Starship could claim something even greater: Its original member is the oldest member of the Classic Rock community out touring these days.

Vocalist and rhythm guitarist David Freiberg was in fine form Saturday night, still rocking at the age of 87, lead singer Cathy Richardson told the packed house at the Philadelphia area venue.

The Jefferson Starship rose from the ashes of the legendary Jefferson Airplane in 1974 as guitarist Paul Kantner and vocalist Grace Slick formed the group with Freiberg, before Airplane vocalist Marty Balin joined a year later.

While Kantner and Balin died over the past decade and Slick retired, Freiberg continues to carry the torch.

And on the tour’s first show, the Jefferson Starship was rocketing toward the skies right out of the gate, opening with the crowd-pleasing hit “Find Your Way Back.”

The group sizzled with soaring vocals from Richardson, Freiberg, and drummer Donny Baldwin, with blistering guitar licks from Jude Gold, all held down by keyboardist and bass player Chris Smith.

The band played Jefferson Airplane classics and some top hits by Starship, which was an offshoot of the group with Slick and Mickey Thomas on vocals during the MTV video age.

Two songs captured those times with the No. 1 Starship hits “We Built This City” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

Freiberg and Richardson also acknowledged Balin, whose songs climbed the charts during his Jefferson Starship stay in the 1970s.

Those were the classic “Miracles,” “Runaway,” and “With Your Love,” which were also huge hits.

Richardson did her best to conjure up the spirits of the psychedelic 1960s with the Slick anthems “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” even running through the crowd to give high-fives to audience members and sit on a showgoer’s lap as she sang the former.

And while the 1970s Southern rockers the Marshall Tucker Band delivered a smooth set of songs, including the big hits “Can’t You See,” and “I Heard It In A Love Song,” it was really the Jefferson Starship that stole the show.

And that was none more evident than when Frieberg took the microphone and wailed on the hit he co-wrote “Jane.”

All of us can only hope we are still roaming Planet Earth at the age of 87. More importantly than being able to get out of bed, none of us could even hope to take the stage at Freiberg’s ripe old age.

Let’s hope he still has many more years of performing and touring.