The Hudson Gardens Summer Concert Series kicked off Sunday with two classic rock acts, Jefferson Starship and Blue Öyster Cult, under perfect weather.
Though the two bands both had their heyday in the ’70s, Sunday’s hour or so long sets from each were very different.
Jefferson Starship, who are down to one original member after , hewed closely to a hit-filled set. Founding member David Freiberg played mostly rhythm guitar and sang backup ably, stepping up to sing lead on the band’s huge hit “Jane,” which he wrote. Otherwise, lead vocals were handled by Cathy Richardson, who has been with the band since 2008.
Richardson paid tribute to Kantner before the band delved into “Crown of Creation,” saying they would go on playing the music. Nearly half the set consisted of songs from the band’s previous incarnation, . Richardson has a stellar voice, and certainly can belt, though it was a little odd hearing her sing “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” two songs made famous by former Airplane/Starship singer Grace Slick.
Starship closed its set with what Richardson described as the “hippie anthem,” “Get Together,” and then wound that into “Volunteers.”
While Starship was content to stick to familiar hits, Blue Öyster Cult was not, as most of its set consisted of lesser-known material. Indeed, it’s probably the only criticism to level at the performance, as the band left out some of its better-known songs, including “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence),” “Dominance and Submission,” and “Take Me Away.”
Aside from that, the show was well-played and showed the strengths of a band that has been playing together for a long time (founding member guitarist Buck Dharma and singer Eric Bloom have been in the band since 1969).
The harmonies on “Burnin’ for You” sounded stellar, and Dharma shredded all night, particularly on the long instrumental “Buck’s Boogie,” displaying a deft touch. Second guitarist Richie Castellano matched him on “Then Came the Last Days of May,” using a volume pedal to create haunting swells.
Bloom sounded sprightly and played well to the crowd, making frequent funny marijuana references and referring to the band as “geezers” at one point when introducing a song from their first album.
The set closed with a well-placed double whammy of the hits “Godzilla” and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”
Setlist: Jefferson Starship and Blue Öyster Cult at Hudson Gardens, 06/05/16
Jefferson Starship
Ride the Tiger
Find Your Way Back
Crown of Creation
Today
Stranger
Miracles
Winds of Change
White Rabbit
Jane
Somebody to Love
Encore: Get Together -> Volunteers
Blue Öyster Cult
The Red & the Black
Golden Age of Leather
True Confessions
Burnin’ for Love
Harvest Moon
The Vigil
ME 262
Buck’s Boogie
Then Came the Last Days of May
Godzilla
Don’t Fear the Reaper
Encore: Hot Rails to Hell
Encore: Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll
