Music lovers are ready to set the night to music this Saturday, October 19, 2024 inside Morristown, NJ’s MPAC auditorium as they prepare themselves for a concert of hits by Starship featuring Mickey Thomas.
The lights dim, and the audience cheers as Starship musicians John Roth on guitar, Cian Coey on vocals, Darrell Verdusco on drums, Jeff Adams on bass, and Phil Bennett on keyboards take the stage along with frontman Mickey Thomas.
Thomas and Co. launch into an energetic rendition of “Layin’ It on the Line,” a lively rocker which features Thomas’ strong lead vocal with backups by Cian Coey and the band. John Roth accompanies on guitar as Thomas sings and Thomas and Coey keep the rhythm going on dueling tambourines to audience cheers and applause.
“Thank you very much! How are you all doing?” asks Thomas as he and the band segue into “Jane,” a Jefferson Starship power rocker which opens with a percussive keyboard part by Phil Bennett with counterpoint crunch guitar chords by Roth. Vocalizing, “Jane, you say it’s all over for you and me, girl,” Thomas, 74, shows his range and flexibility.
Following avid applause, Thomas announces, “Here’s a bittersweet love song,” as he and Starship rocket into the group’s 1986 #1 hit, “Sara.” Singing with power and dynamics, Thomas croons “Sara, Sara/Storms are brewin’ in your eyes,” supported on vocals by Coey, Adams, and Bennett.
The crowd cheers, and Thomas exclaims, “I’m so happy to be here — I’ve been doing this for almost 50 years!” Sailing into “Wild Again,” a song from the Tom Cruise film Cocktail, Darrell Verdusco’s drums drive this rocker which features Roth impressing with an electric guitar solo.
Explaining that Starship’s next song became a hit for Roberta Flack and Maxi Priest, Thomas invites Coey to duet with him on “Set the Night to Music.”
Crooning to one another, the pair trades leads before blending their voices on this appealing rock ballad.
Taking the audience back to the ‘60s, Coey is featured on a dynamic rendition of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” Her alto voice belting out the well-known “Go ask Alice/I think she’ll know” lyric, Coey gives a performance filled with power and emotion before the band heats up and Coey channels Grace Slick on a tour de force performance of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.” On this classic psychedelic rocker, Coey sings directly to music lovers who clap and join in singing on the tune’s well known “Don’t you want somebody to love” chorus before leaping to their feet for her stellar performance.
Thomas follows up by singing lead on the driving power ballad, “It’s Not Enough,” which has all six Starship members providing vocal support. Thomas and Co. follow up by performing Starship’s 1987 #1 hit, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” which has the audience singing along on the famous “And we can build this thing together” chorus. Roth plays a swirling guitar solo and the crowd claps along with the song’s infectious rhythm while Thomas vocalizes on the song’s coda to avid cheers and applause.
Several fans call out, “Do it again!” and Thomas responds by recalling his work with Elvin Bishop’s band in the 1970s. Here, he and Starship perform “Fooled Around and Fell In Love,” a 1976 Top Ten hit for Bishop which featured Thomas’ original lead vocal. Sounding clear and strong, Thomas cries out, “I must have been through about a million girls,” before the audience happily joins him in singing the well-known “But then I fooled around and fell in love” chorus. Roth takes a guitar solo down front, wailing and sliding up and down his fretboard before concertgoers rise to their feet with animated applause.
A funky beat permeates the MPAC auditorium as Thomas grabs an acoustic guitar for “Stranger,” a driving Jefferson Starship number which features Thomas’ and Coey’s harmony lead vocal. “Stranger” also features a Phil Bennett keyboard solo along with a fast and furious John Roth tap guitar solo which inspires avid cheers and applause.
Thomas reveals that “Stranger” was the first song he and Grace Slick ever sang together before acknowledging that the group’s next song featured lyrics by Elton John’s lyricist, Bernie Taupin. Audience members rise to their feet as Thomas and Co. conclude tonight’s show with Starship’s 1985 chart-topper, “We Built This City.”
Thomas holds his mic out for the audience enticing them to clap and sing the famous “We built this city/We built this city on rock and roll” chorus before Thomas introduces his band members and everyone exits the stage to a standing ovation.
Bennett returns for an ethereal keyboard solo which is accompanied by Verdusco on drums before the rest of the band returns for an encore of Jefferson Starship’s “Find Your Way Back.” Thomas encourages music lovers to join in singing the catchy “Find your way back” chorus which has all six Starship members vocalizing together on this power rock ballad.
For a second encore, Coey sings lead as she moves cross the stage, inviting the crowd to join in on a raucous rendition of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” Music lovers are on their feet singing with their hands in the air before ending the night with avid cheers and applause as Thomas exclaims, “Thank you!” and he and the band exit the stage.
As concertgoers make their way out of the MPAC auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance. Exclaims Kevin from Harrison, “Starship’s show tonight was incredible! Mickey Thomas is unbelievable — he hasn’t lost a step. I didn’t expect him to be able to hit those notes, but he sang the whole time and he’s still got it. Plus, he’s got a great young band and so many great songs, as well.”
Jeannie from the Poconos remarks, “Starship was wonderful — they put on an excellent show. Mickey Thomas is as great as ever, the lead guitarist was wonderful, and the female singer was phenomenal, too,” prior to revealing, “I specifically chose an aisle seat so I could dance and I had a really great time!”
Insists Jeremy from Parlin, “Tonight’s show was wonderful — it was everything I’d hoped it would be. Mickey Thomas’ voice was phenomenal and the female singer’s voice was wonderful, too.” Susan from Brooklyn, NY, agrees, adding, “I enjoyed it, especially when they did ‘We Built this City,’ which brought back so many memories.”
Lastly, Donny from Franklin comments, “Starship’s show was really great tonight — amazing! I went into it only knowing a couple of songs and now I’m a fan,” prior to declaring, “It definitely brought me back to the ’80s even though I was born in 1993!”
To learn more about Starship, please go to starshipcontrol.com. For information on great upcoming programming at MPAC — including Rick Springfield on November 2 and KC and the Sunshine Band on November 22 — please go to mayoarts.com.
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