When Starship Concert Tour?
Starship, an 80s rock band that has Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick as vocalists, came together for a couple of performances in 2016. That being said, a full-blown reunion tour has not been realized to this date, and many are left to ponder whether it will ever be a possibility.
Together with David Freiberg, former Jefferson Airplane members Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, Mickey Thomas, and Craig Chaquico, formerly of Jefferson Starship, created the band in 1985. One of the most well-known bands of the 1980s, they were able to create smash songs like "We Built This City," "Sara," "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," and "It's Not Over (‘Til It's Over)."
Officially dissolving in 1990 when Slick and most of the other members departed, the group has sporadically reassembled for one-off events and short tours since then, most famously in 1992 for a concert at Red Rocks commemorating Kantner's fiftieth birthday and in 2001 for a summer tour. At least some of the fans hoped for another reunion at some other specified event.
Fortunately, that reunion was at last made possible—albeit in a very brief span—in 2016. To honor the 30th anniversary of Kantner's performances at Red Rocks, Mickey Thomas put together a fresh band of musicians to sing some of Starship's songs. They invited Grace Slick to sing vocals for their flashback to the seventies stage performance after getting a few festival jobs. The fan reaction was pretty remarkable, and the news of Starship getting ready for the long-awaited reunion tour spread right away.
Why then hasn't that much-awaited reunion tour come to pass yet? This might have a number of causes. First of all, let me note that Paul Kantner, a crucial member of Jefferson Airplane, passed away in 2016. After their brief reunion in 2016, both Mickey and Grace have participated in their respective initiatives and advocacies and shown a readiness to cooperate going forward.
Grace Slick has not been doing music in recent years and has hinted at doing a final tour in her band provided it is planned properly. Mickey Thomas has remained busy with other musical projects in the last decade and has embarked on an independent career and also working with other bands. Craig Chaquico also provides more albums and shows, Chaquico is also an individual musician. And there has not been that pressure to get all to dedicate time for the tour yet.
There might also be some legal issues that would make it difficult for another Starship tour to take off. Starship trademark has shifted owners several times in the past and hence other bands also use the name for live performances. Determining that legally may be a challenge to the main original members reuniting and forming Starship again.
However, the major issue that would physically hinder a reunion tour more than likely is simply just getting multiple performers' busy singer’s schedules to match not to mention the feasibility and cost of a reunion tour. It is quite a challenging task to secure venues, coordinate transportation, and manage all the other sundry factors that are involved in a huge national concert tour.
Mickey Thomas has summed up by saying that it’s hard just to get everyone actively interested at the same time. He alleges that Grace Slick flip-flops about whether she wants to partake in a reunion tour every ten minutes. But Mickey still believes that the demand is still out there for bringing Starship back one more time. So never say never.
With 2022 now marking the 40th anniversary of Starship’s formation, this year seems a fitting milestone for finally launching that long-awaited reunion tour. Mickey has also intimated that there might be something in the offing while Grace has also left the audience to guess if there is something planned for her in the future. Grace recently said she might be interested if someone would undertake all the details of getting it arranged. And Mickey has only signaled that he has something big to reveal this year on what the future holds for Starship.
Many analysts do not believe that a large-scale tour of the kind witnessed in their heyday will return. However, fans are still holding on to the possibility of persuading Grace Slick to perform live again, although the frequency and the locations remain highly limited. And Mickey Thomas goes on to try to make that possible as well. He has said that he wants to have one more huge concert with all the band members and at a prestigious venue such as New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Realistically Starship is unlikely to ever tour again on such a scale as a 50-city tour type. Still, a residency-style concert stint lasting a few weeks in Las Vegas or a couple of dates related to festivals or special events could well be feasible with Grace Slick’s limited participation. Perhaps, they hire 5-10 concerts in the largest cities as a swan song. That seems plausible if they can tie in the business end of things and the availability of bands.
Some fans think that the fact that 2023 will be the 35th anniversary of ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us’ reaching the #1 position could be useful in terms of timing for that kind of limited tour. Or 2024 is the anniversary of their first major success as Starship with ‘We Built This City’ which is another significant event to market.
Of course, Grace Slick just turned 80 so health and stamina for an aging rock star also has to be factored in. And COVID is still a concern to all the touring performing artists as well. But all the parties involved look as if they want to try one more time to make something work for the fans.
Mickey Thomas is also working on that possible farewell tour for the group. He says he works on Grace Slick every week on agreeing to do a string of shows shortly when time permits. The majority of music industry insiders believe that only if Grace Slick agrees to participate, a tour for 2023 or 2024 with 5-10 shows is probable. And, the fans of Starship can simply cross their fingers and hope that they get a proper send off from these icons who gave so many beloved 80’s hits.
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