Starship featuring Mickey Thomas

Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas • Taylor Dayne • July 12, 2024 • Canyons Village

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Starship featuring Mickey Thomas is one of those shows I didn’t know I’d enjoy as much as I did.  That’s not to say I didn’t think I’d like it.  Obviously, they’ve had a career spanning decades.  They have unforgettable hits.  I suppose I thought that it would be nostalgic, but an in-the-moment kind of thing.  Not a show that would last in my mind.  Well, I think I’ve had these Starship songs stuck in my head for a while since the concert.  And then for them to have Taylor Dayne, a hitmaker in her own right joining them.  It was a night of fun songs and beautiful views.

If you’ve never been to the Concert On The Slopes series at Canyons Village, I highly suggest you go. Not only can you get to the venue by ski lift, taking in all the incredible views that part of Utah has to offer, but there’s not a bad spot in the venue.  The stage is set up at the bottom of an actual ski slope.  It’s a great place to escape the heat of the valleys down the canyon, and their lineup is a great mix of fun summertime shows.  Shows like Spoon, Aly & AJ, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Josh Tuner, and I Love The 90s are sure to draw a crowd and be a good time.  The Park City Institute always does a great job of providing unique and great opportunities for people to experience some of the best in music.

Taylor Dayne

Even with the typically cooler temperatures in the Park City area, a heat delay was implemented.  The show was only delayed 30 minutes.  But I think it helped because when the show started the weather felt great!  The show began with Taylor Dayne.  Her set was short.  But each song was a big hit for her.  I noticed quite a few people get up and start dancing with Taylor during “With Every Beat of My Heart”.  It was fun to see people singing along to the “Na na na na na na”s of “Ill Be Your Shelter.  

The power in Taylor Dayne’s voice is still intact.  I was impressed whenever she’d belt out a big note.  Particularly during “Love Will Lead You Back”.  The audience cheered their approval of her performance.  Taylor Dayne concluded her brief set with a rousing version of her hit, “Tell It To My Heart”.  People were dancing and singing along throughout the song.  It was a pretty causal atmosphere at Canyons Village, but the crowd really seemed to love this part of the show.

Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas

It wasn’t until Starship took the stage that I realized they were pulling double duty as Taylor Dayne’s backing band.  I thought that was a great idea and a smart way to be resourceful.  They resumed their positions and began playing as the audience cheered and welcomed Mickey Thomas to the stage.  Mickey has had an extensive career.  Not only as a lead vocalist with Starship and their predecessor Jefferson Starship, but also a featured vocalist with Elvin Bishop, and on many albums of a variety of musicians.  His huge vocal range has made him a voice in demand over the years.  

Starship’s wide-ranging set gave the band moments to shine.  I thought Cian Coey stood out big time.  The newest member of the band, joining in 2021, made her presence known.  Her impressive vocals on classic Jefferson Airplane era songs like “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love” blew this audience away.  I had not heard Coey sing these songs before and I was really impressed.  

It was impossible to walk away from this concert without being totally in awe of Mickey Thomas.  At 74 years old, Thomas still has an amazing range.  I admit that I was skeptical because many of the songs he’s famous for call for some really high notes.  He hit them all!  I thought we’d be hearing a different arrangement to get around some of the more challenging notes.  But that didn’t happen.  He just went for it and landed it time after time.  The audience was excited to hear him return to some earlier classics like “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”.  A song he sang lead on for Elvin Bishop.  And of course so many of the Starship songs like, “Sara” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” call for some notes that are usually suited for a younger voice.  I can’t emphasize enough just how good he sounded on these.  

Of course, the night would only be complete if we got to hear Starship’s most polarizing, but massive hit, “We Built This City”. Yes, the song has been scrutinized.  Some even pretend to not like it. But I couldn’t wait to hear these guys perform the song.  And as you’d expect, it’s been in my head ever since.  They did a great job with it.  I know they’ve performed it a billion times, and yet they still made it fun and got the crowd into it.  

Park City and Canyons Village was a great place to See Starship with Mickey Thomas.  Do yourself a favor and see a show there.  And if you haven’t seen Starship with Mickey Thomas, I think you should.  You would have a great time.