The Starship is the Boeing 720 that carried the biggest rock bands between 1973 and 1977. Completely refurbished to meet the needs of its boisterous passengers, the “Party Plane” was a theater of excess, helping to forge the image of bands such as Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers and Deep Purple.
The 1970s saw the advent of rock stars. Followed by hordes of groupies, these new idols of the young threw TV sets from the 10th floor of hotels, dutifully ransacking rooms and driving at breakneck speed in sublime cars that quickly ended up in the scrap heap or in a swimming pool.
It was also a time when U.S. tours were becoming longer and longer, with dates in many medium-sized cities, and when musicians were spending more and more time in buses or on medium-haul flights, with all the hassles that entailed (lost or delayed luggage, problems with the police or local populations, full searches at the airport, etc.).
A Starship is born
In 1973, singer Bobby Sherman and his manager bought a Boeing 720 from United Airlines, with the aim of converting it into a touring jet and leasing it out.
Thus was born the legendary “Starship”.
Purchased for $600,000, this 138-seat airliner was completely remodeled at the request of its new owners to accommodate the rock’n’roll lifestyle (40 seats after the conversion). After a $200,000 refurbishment, the Starship offered a central cabin with a 10 m-long sofa, TV and VCR, with a collection of video K7s ranging from the Marx Brothers to Deep Throat, a bar with an electronic organ, a suite with a king-size waterbed and faux-fur blankets, and even a fake fireplace.
The first band to hire the Starship was Led Zeppelin, in 1973.
The band’s manager, Peter Grant, had decided when the band was formed that the first step to the top was to conquer the USA. Grant scrambled to secure as many dates as possible from the1st tour, in 1969, while keeping the press at bay. He deliberately refused all requests for interviews, leaving the musicians to cultivate a sense of mystery. But these long, multi-date tours were no picnic for these long-haired, weed-smoking Brit musicians in the hippie-influenced Midwest (as evidenced by the film Easy Rider, released the same year, and its tragic end).
The party plane of the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Elton John
In addition to these initial disadvantages, there was the frequent air turbulence experienced by the small single-engine propellers that were generally used. The same ones that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Glenn Miller and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
When Led Zeppelin inaugurated the Starship, they were one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
This was the end of countless stops in motels: every evening, the Starship brought the band and their entourage back to L.A., where the party started on board continued in the bars of the Sunset strip or at the Hyatt Hotel, nicknamed the “Riot House”.
The Starship had become the new standard for rock stars, and was used by (among others): the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan & the Band, Peter Frampton, the Allman Brothers, the Bee Gees and Elton John.
The latter, who had rented the Starship for his 1974 US tour, had retired to the plane’s suite for a nap. When he awoke, he was surprised to find Stevie Wonder singing “Crocodile Rock” at the piano behind the bar.
When the Allman Brothers Band entered the Starship for their very first ride, they were greeted by a “Welcome Allman Brothers” written in lines of cocaine by the previous occupants: Led Zeppelin.
When the Rolling Stones rented the Starship for their “STP” tour, Mick Jagger exclaimed “it’s very tacky” as he took in the interior of this flying Las Vegas. He would be the only one to complain, as the other bands adored the “party plane”.
Peter Frampton, for his part, recounts how his musicians used to hide their weed stash in their dirty laundry bags to evade the customs sniffer dogs.
“It’s in bad taste” (Mick Jagger about the decoration of the cabine)
The Starship also symbolized the growing isolation of rock stars in the 70s.
A former Atlantic Records executive recalls that, at the end of a Led Zeppelin concert in Minneapolis, guitarist Jimmy Page was already being served a Thermidor lobster aboard the Starship on the runway as the cheering crowd demanded an encore in the concert he’d just left.
It was common for musicians to rush from their hotels in their bathrobes into a limousine, heading for the Starship, where they would extend their short nights.
For the Rolling Stones in 1975, Starship had one advantage: it woke up Keith Richards before each concert, at a time when he was sinking deeper and deeper into dope.
1977 was the Starship’s last year of loyal service, with tours for Led Zeppelin and Peter Frampton (on the “Frampton Comes Alive” album).
It’s said that for many rock band managers, the Starship was an indicator of their position in the music business. Journalists and VIPs were frequently invited on board, and every whim was allowed, such as going for a lobster dinner in Boston when you’re in Miami (Deep Purple).
The Starship was then sold to various owners, ending up in pieces in 1982. In the meantime, the2nd oil crisis had hit, and the time was no longer ripe for touring in super jets.
What remains are the photos and music from those crazy days.
