Over the course of his almost 55-year long career, Jack Casady has established himself as one of the most influential bassists in the music world. From his beginnings with Jefferson Airplane to his success with celebrated blues group, Hot Tuna, Casady has remained a consistent presence and a powerhouse talent. A lot of this is due to his signature tonality, which allows listeners to recognize a Casady bassline instantly. As a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, Casady has played 12 shows at The Capitol Theatre, and to celebrate his 75th birthday, we’re recounting them all!

1. March 24, 1970

Jack Casady’s first show at The Capitol Theatre was one to remember. Jefferson Airplane played a setlist which included multiple covers, including “Wooden Ships,” a song written and composed by David Crosby, Paul Kantner, and Stephen Stills, which they had recorded for their most recent album, Volunteers. If that wasn’t great enough, Jefferson Airplane also used their first performance at The Cap to play their song “Up or Down” for the first time.

2. November 13, 1970 (Early Show)

Casady’s second show at The Cap was one of two shows he played this evening with Jefferson Airplane. Their album, Volunteers, had been certified gold earlier that year, so they, of course, played their hits from the album, in addition to their new singles, “Have You Seen the Saucers” and “Mexico.”

3. November 13, 1970 (Late Show)

After a successful early show, Jefferson Airplane followed it up with another show just hours later. Though they played fewer songs during their late show, they lasted about the same amount of time because the late show was more about jamming. New single “Mexico” was replaced by an additional song from Volunteers. The show concluded with an encore of “Emergency,” a song that had not yet been released and was only played once more after this show.

4. January 21, 1971

The next time Jack Casady returned to The Cap, he wasn’t playing with Jefferson Airplane, but with Hot Tuna. The performance included a rollicking encore of “Feel So Good,” which had been teased earlier in the set.

5. April 30, 1975

It took four more years for Hot Tuna to return to The Cap, so the band knew they had to make this show one to remember, and this they did easily. Over the course of the show, Hot Tuna played 27 songs from their catalog for an audience that ate it up. Another fun fact about this show: their supporting act was the now incredibly famous band, Journey.

6. April 14, 1989

Hot Tuna returned after a long hiatus with a special acoustic show. Fans had the opportunity to hear two sets of their favorite Hot Tuna songs stripped down, which was an especially precious experience given that the band had recently returned from a long hiatus.

7. December 2, 1989

As the 1990s loomed nearby, Hot Tuna returned to The Cap once more, this time with a full band. The band soundchecked "Jacqueline," "Memories," and "Come Back Baby," all three of which were played at the night’s show.

8. May 27, 1990

Acoustic Hot Tuna returned to The Cap the next year as the opening act for The Radiators. Even though they had a shorter set, Jorma and Jack made the most of it, packing the setlist with fan favorites and even including a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”

9. June 19, 2014

Jack Casady’s first show back at The Cap after the venue reopened in 2012 was a Hot Tuna show featuring the legend himself, Leon Russell. The beautiful and talented Teresa Williams even joined on a few songs. Needless to say, Hot Tuna and Jack Casady’s return to The Cap was well worth the wait.

10. July 18, 2015

Jack Casady next returned with his signature style as Electric Hot Tuna Trio. The setlist included the song “A Little Fast” from their album, Steady As She Goes, which has been played less than 20 times total and has not been played since this show.

11. August 6, 2016

Casady again returned to The Cap with the Hot Tuna, this time supported by Leftover Salmon. A delightfully fishy evening was had by all in attendance. What a great night of Tuna with a side of Salmon!

12. December 8, 2017

Jack Casady’s most recent show at The Capitol Theatre was in December of 2017, when Electric Hot Tuna performed with legendary guitarist Steve Kimock. They played two full sets, with Kimock joining them for 9 of the 19 songs played that night.

With all the spectacular shows he’s played here in the past, we cannot wait for Jack Casady to return to The Cap with Hot Tuna on August 15.