RECAP: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas @ Empire State Plaza, 8/12/2026
Written by chadfromalbany on August 18, 2026
By Chad from Albany.
Over three dozen food trucks and portable eateries lined the perimeter of the Empire State Plaza in Albany through the pleasantly warm August day on Wednesday, August 12. The annual New York State Food Festival started at 11:00 am and offered the finest in local cuisine to the general public, as well as the workers filling the buildings in and around the Plaza. Entertainment started at noon with the Slingshot Funk Band, while the post-work music began at 5 pm with DJ Mr. CEO, who filled in between live sets by country band Whiskey Highway and Sound Minds, which featured local legend Graham Tichy slinging guitar. But when most people were prepping for fried dough or various other desserts after stuffing themselves with incredible cuisine, Starship, which is still fronted by the great Mickey Thomas, took to the stage around 7:40 pm for a set lasting a little over an hour before the rain seemingly cut the show short by a little bit.
After the band took the stage, Thomas, the sole original member of Starship, walked to the mic, looking 20 years younger than his age and sounding 30 years younger than what most rock singers sound like when they hit 76. He started off with two classic Jefferson Starship hits, “Layin’ It On the Line” and “Jane,” followed by a bit of a deep cut from 1989’s “Love Among the Cannibals,” “Wild Again,” which was also featured in the Tom Cruise film “Cocktail.” Following that, the band launched into a pair of #1 hits from 1985 and 1986, respectively – the classic “Sara” and another soundtrack song, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” from the beloved comedy “Mannequin.”
Thomas then brought up the history of Starship, with their roots going back to the mid 1960s with the iconic Jefferson Airplane. Although Thomas wasn’t part of that lineup, they paid homage by performing the classic rock staples “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love,” showcasing co-lead vocalist Chelsee Foster’s powerhouse voice filling the original role of Grace Slick incredibly, her voice piercing through those sitting on the NYS Museum stairs. Following that was the Elvin Bishop Group’s 1976 smash, “Fooled Around and Fell In Love,” which included Thomas’ searing vocals that would rival anything the revered Paul Rodgers would sing, and brought that to #3 on the charts. The show ended with another Jefferson Starship song, “Stranger,” and the polarizing smash hit “We Built This City,” closing out the night a little earlier than expected as the rain started to drizzle from above.
I was greatly impressed with Thomas as well as his crackerjack band, as they sounded tremendous and mimicked the original recordings perfectly. The food was great – I went with the Given To Fry food truck; how could I not, as it was dubbed “a culinary tribute to Pearl Jam”? There were so many others I wish I could have tried, but the meal I had there filled me up to the point of being near comatose. So I chalk the night up as a win.
Starship are back in the US and Canada and continuing their tour with the dates in the link below:
https://www.starshipcontrol.
The Albany, NY setlist can be found here:
https://www.setlist.fm/
RadioRadioX