Starship touches down in Lincoln City

 With a name that went through a bit of a telephone game, Jefferson Airplane was formed in the 1960s. In the early 1980s, shifting personnel caused a name change to Jefferson Starship then, in 1985, to Starship.

Now touring as Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, the band will bring decades of hits from all three incarnations of the group to Chinook Winds Casino Resort this Saturday, March 1.

“We leave no stone unturned as far as songs go,” said Thomas, who joined Jefferson Airplane in 1979 and became lead vocalist. “We play everything I’ve had a hand in, including my time with Elvin Bishop.”

Thomas first made his mark as the lead vocalist on the mega-hit “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” with The Elvin Bishop Band in 1979. With Jefferson Airplane, after the departure of Grace Slick and Marty Balin, he was vocalist on such hits as “Jane,” “Find Your Way Back” and “Layin’ It on the Line.”

The group was renamed Starship in 1985 and, with Slick temporarily back in the band, went on to record the number-one hits, “We Built This City,” “Sara” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Their hit “It’s Not Over ’Til It’s Over” became Major League Baseball’s theme in 1987.

Most of the band members of Starship featuring Mickey Thomas have been with the group since the ’90s, and the recent addition of vocalist Chelsee Foster is helping with the sound of some of the classic songs like “White Rabbit.”

“She’s a great rock and roll singer,” Thomas said. “She does the duets, and she just sounds great. She can sound like Grace but she puts her own stamp on it.”

Now in his 70s, Thomas looks forward to the roughly 60 shows per year on his schedule, and stays in shape to put on a good performance.

“The band is very energetic and I think it surprises people sometimes,” he said. “Because we’ve been around for so long people might have expected to see a bunch of old codgers."

Saturday’s concert begins at 8 pm at Chinook Winds Casino Resort, located 1777 NW 44th Street in Lincoln City. Tickets are $40 to $55. For more information, go to chinookwindscasino.com or call 888-244-6665.