{"id":838931,"date":"2026-09-06T23:54:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T23:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/838931\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T23:54:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T23:54:22","slug":"review-deep-purple-kansas-jefferson-starship-concert-tour-hits-bay-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/838931\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Deep Purple, Kansas, Jefferson Starship concert tour hits Bay Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

The scene at Shoreline Amphitheatre was a microcosm of the overall state of classic-rock touring in 2026.<\/p>\n

The bands didn\u2019t feature many\/any of their original members, yet that certainly didn\u2019t stop them from delivering (mostly) solid sets. And the fans definitely aren\u2019t buying tickets for these shows like they once did.<\/p>\n

Sure, there are notable exceptions \u2014 top-tier attractions like AC\/DC<\/a>, Bruce Springsteen<\/a>, Eagles<\/a> and Paul McCartney<\/a> continue to pack the big houses.<\/p>\n

But then you have the triple bill of Deep Purple<\/a>, Kansas<\/a> and Jefferson Starship<\/a>, which some 15 years ago \u2014 not to mention some 50 years ago \u2014 would have done really good business in an era when classic-rock package tours were still considered top tickets.<\/p>\n

That era appears to be over now. The Deep Purple<\/a>-led lineup drew only around 4,000 fans on Saturday (Sept. 5), representing one of the smallest turnouts I have ever witnessed in my 30-plus years of reviewing shows at the 22,000-capacity Mountain View venue.<\/p>\n

Those folks who stayed home, however, missed a diversely entertaining evening of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll from three bands who each hail from different realms of the classic rock world.<\/p>\n

Both Jefferson Starship and Kansas were quite impressive, while Deep Purple<\/a> never really rose above mediocrity due mostly to the deteriorating vocal abilities and stage presence of frontman Ian Gillan.<\/p>\n

\"CathyCathy Richardson and Jude Gold play guitar as they perform with Jefferson Starship at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taking the stage first during this marathon evening of classic rock, which began at 6 p.m. and lasted until around 11 p.m., was Jefferson Starship.<\/p>\n

Of course, the whole Jefferson Airplane\/Jefferson Starship\/Starship\/Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas lineage is so complicated and confusing \u2014 with name changes, players coming and going and different touring entities \u2014 that I\u2019m not always sure what exactly I\u2019m about to see when I go to one of their concerts. At times, it seems like it might just be the folks who detail Jorma Kaukonen\u2019s cars are taking a swing at the Airplane songbook.<\/p>\n

Yet, the outfit that kicked things off at Shoreline features one original Jefferson Starship member \u2014 David Freiberg, a Bay Area rock icon who co-founded both Jefferson Starship and Quicksilver Messenger Service, and spent a short bit of time in Jefferson Airplane.<\/p>\n

Guitarist-vocalist Freiberg, who just turned 88 a couple of weeks back, and his terrific current cast of bandmates delivered a 45-minute showing that ranked as the most overall enjoyable set of the day.<\/p>\n

As the current keeper of the Airplane\/Starship pop\/rock\/psychedelia legacy, the band has access to some of the greatest songs in rock history as well as some of the worst. But nostalgia is a powerful thing and even the latter \u2014 yes, I\u2019m talking about the cringe-worthy \u201980s offerings \u201cNothing\u2019s Gonna Stop Us Now\u201d and (ugh) \u201cWe Built This City\u201d \u2014 came across as listenable in concert. But they stilled paled in comparison to the first-tier Airplane classics \u201cSomebody to Love,\u201d \u201cWhite Rabbit\u201d and \u201cVolunteers,\u201d which found frontwoman Cathy Richardson nicely handling the lines Grace Slick originally made famous and lead guitarist Jude Gold adding plenty of fretboard fireworks.<\/p>\n

China Kantner, the daughter of Airplane\u2019s Slick and Paul Kantner, made an appearance at the end of the set, doing a bit of percussion work and backing vocals on \u201cSomebody to Love\u201d and \u201cVolunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Freiberg and Cathy Richardson perform with Jefferson Starship at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kansas was up next and, as expected, ratcheted the musical excellence to whole other level. You may or may not like the songs, which rumble about in the space where prog and art rock meet, but there\u2019s no doubting that these guys can play. The only question might be, well, who are these guys?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s fair, given that Kansas\u2019 current touring lineup features zero original members of the band \u2014 and, really, none that date back long enough to have had any connection with its glory days. On the flip side, however, they are all aces and had no problem conjuring up those classic (and highly complex) Kansas sounds during the band\u2019s 75-minute set.<\/p>\n

\"RonnieRonnie Platt and Dan McGowan perform with Kansas at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fronted by the very capable Ronnie Platt on lead vocals and keyboards \u2014 he joined the band in 2014 and ranks as the longest-serving member of the touring squad \u2014 Kansas opened up with the classic-rock-radio staple \u201cPoint of Know Return\u201d and immediately had the small but appreciative crowd up and grooving along.<\/p>\n

The group then took us deep into the art-rock thistle \u2014 causing those primarily in the audience to sing along with Starship\u2019s \u201cJane\u201d and Purple\u2019s \u201cSmoke on the Water\u201d to sit back down and perhaps check their phones \u2014 as it mined its back catalog for such sizable \u201970s prog-rock anthems as \u201cThe Wall\u201d and \u201cSong for America.\u201d But we\u2019d be all up and crooning with Kansas once again when it rolled out the gorgeous classic rock ballad \u201cDust in the Wind\u201d and then, to close its set, \u201cCarry On Wayward Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ScottScott Bernard plays the guitar with Kansas as they perform at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Deep Purple really had no business following Kansas and, not surprisingly, its headlining set felt quite anticlimactic. Even though it appeared (at least on paper) to have the most impressive lineup of the day \u2014 with three members dating back to the classic early-\u201970s \u201cMark II\u201d lineup of Deep Purple \u2014 the band limped through its 16-song setlist.<\/p>\n

Two of those players \u2014 bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice (the sole original member remaining in the band) \u2014 formed a solid enough rhythm section. But Ian Gillan wasn\u2019t able to hold up his end of the bargain, with his shrill, nasal and highly battered vocals barely resembling those iconic multi-octave lines uttered on \u201cMachine Head,\u201d \u201cMade in Japan\u201d and other hard-rock\/proto-metal \u201970s offerings.<\/p>\n

\"IanIan Gillian sings with Deep Purple at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet, once our collective expectations were lowered quite a bit, after the first two or three songs of the set, it was possible to simply accept what this vocalist still has to offer in 2026 after having weathered so many years of vocal cord issues and strain. But it was harder to accept his between-song chatter, consisting of mostly nonsensical ravings about topics that ranged from piranhas to women in fur coats, which further underscored that he\u2019s become quite a poor frontman.<\/p>\n

The show was also horribly paced, with way too many pointless instrumental spotlights that somehow managed to come across as both showy and lethargic at the same time. Every time the musicians would gain an ounce of a momentum in the set \u2014 which, to be clear, wasn\u2019t often \u2014 they ended up undermining themselves and bringing the show to a dead halt.<\/p>\n

The result was anything but heavy. It was ho-hum. And even \u201cSmoke on the Water\u201d couldn\u2019t save it. But, looking on the bright side for the band, at least there weren\u2019t many people in the audience to witness this disappointing performance.<\/p>\n

\"IanIan Paice, a founding member of Deep Purple, performs with the band at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Deep Purple setlist:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cHighway Star\u201d
2. \u201cA Bit on the Side\u201d
3. \u201cInto the Fire\u201d
4. Guitar solo
5. \u201cArrogant Boy\u201d
6. \u201cLazy Sod\u201d
7. Keyboard solo
8. \u201cLazy\u201d
9. \u201cWhen a Blind Man Cries\u201d
10. \u201cDiablo\u201d
11. Keyboard solo
12. \u201cPerfect Strangers\u201d
13. \u201cSpace Truckin’\u201d
14. \u201cSmoke on the Water\u201d
15. \u201cGuinnesis\u201d
16. \u201cHush\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RonnieRonnie Platt screams into the mic as he performs with Kansas at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kansas setlist:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cPoint of Know Return\u201d
2. \u201cParadox\u201d
3. \u201cChild of Innocence\u201d
4. \u201cJets Overhead\u201d
5. \u201cThe Wall\u201d
6. \u201cSong for America\u201d
7, \u201cDust in the Wind\u201d
8. \u201cHold On\u201d
9. \u201cDown the Road\u201d
10. \u201cPortrait (He Knew)\u201d
11. \u201cMiracles Out of Nowhere\u201d
12. \u201cCarry On Wayward Son\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JudeJude Gold plays guitar as he performs with Jefferson Starship at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Sept. 5, 2026. (Chris Riley\/Times-Herald)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jefferson Starship setlist:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cFind Your Way Back\u201d
2. \u201cStranger\u201d
3. \u201cNothing\u2019s Gonna Stop Us Now\u201d
4. \u201cWhite Rabbit\u201d
5. \u201cWe Built This City\u201d
6. \u201cJane\u201d
7. \u201cJet Pack\u201d
8. \u201cSomebody to Love\u201d
9. \u201cVolunteers\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The scene at Shoreline Amphitheatre was a microcosm of the overall state of classic-rock touring in 2026. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":838932,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[3805,2356,6547,88,3803,2558,16124,216,23823,17172,2156,10840,248945,10843,2628],"class_list":["post-838931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-concerts","tag-entertainment","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-mountain-view","tag-music","tag-nightlife","tag-pop-music","tag-rock-music","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-social-alert","tag-south-bay","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}