Watch Hot Tuna & Friends Perform Jefferson Airplane Classic To Close Final Electric Concert In San Francisco

On December 2, Hot Tuna delivered the last of two electric concerts in San Francisco (Electric Hot Tuna played their last show in Denver on December 7) where guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady founded the band in 1969 as a side project to their group Jefferson Airplane. To close their recent concert at The Fillmore in San Fran, a benefit for the Rex Foundation, Electric Hot Tuna performed the psychedelic Airplane classic, “White Rabbit.”

The encore performance of “White Rabbit” saw Kaukonen and Casady joined by touring members drummer Justin Guip, Larry Campbell (guitar) and Teresa Williams (vocals) along with slide trumpet master Steven Bernstein. The song began with Casady working some psychedelic bass explorations before thumping out his iconic “White Rabbit” bassline to the audience’s delight. Williams handled Grace Slick’s soaring vocal performance expertly. “Thanks a lot folks, it’s been swell,” Jorma said after the song’s climactic conclusion.

Watch Electric Hot Tuna perform “White Rabbit” below:

The concert got underway with Kaukonen’s “Been So Long.” The first set saw the blues enthusiasts including a number of standards in the genre including the traditional “Hesitation Blues,” Blind Blake’s “That’ll Never Happen No More” Bobby Rush’s “Bowlegged Woman, Knock Kneed Man” and first set closer “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning” by Blind Willie Johnson.

The first frame finale featured Campbell, Williams and Bernstein — who all joined Hot Tuna throughout the show. The first set also contained Tuna classics “Highway Song,” “Ode To Billy Dean” and “Sea Child” from the band’s 1972 album, Burgers.

The second set kicked off with Jefferson Airplane collaborator Papa John Creach’s “John’s Other.” Additional Airplane-era songs in the second set included “Trail By Fire” and “Good Shepherd.” Blues standards in the second frame came in the form of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” and B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby.” The set came to a close with “Funky # 7” off Hot Tuna’s 1975 LP, America’s Choice, ahead of the “White Rabbit” encore.