FIRST OFF . . .

Grace Slick is calling it quits on live concerts with the Starship, according to a report published Wednesday in the San Francisco Chronicle. Slick, lead singer and front person for both the Jefferson Airplane and the Starship for 22 years, said she decided two weeks ago to quit appearing with the Starship for personal reasons, according to the newspaper. Slick denied that criticism of the group’s current musical bent prompted her to quit touring. “It’s my own decision,” she said. “What other people think about what I do is sort of irrelevant.” Her recording future with the Starship also remains uncertain. The band is negotiating a new recording contract with RCA Records.