Jefferson Starship to perform at RiverPark Center

Jun. 7—The San Francisco-based rock group Jefferson Starship will be performing at RiverPark Center at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The show was originally scheduled for last October but was postponed.

Before becoming known for their hits like "Jane" and "Runaway," the group originated from the late rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner's release of "Bows Against the Empire" in 1970 under the name "Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship," while Kantner was in the band Jefferson Airplane.

Jefferson Airplane eventually split up into two groups, with Jefferson Starship becoming one of the groups that was formed by Kantner and lead vocalist Grace Slick.

The group found immediately success with the debut album "Dragon Fly" in 1974 which went gold, and followed up with four more top 10 albums, including 1975's "Red Octopus," reaching number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the lead single "Miracles" peaking at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The current lineup consists of lead vocalist Cathy Richardson, vocalist, guitarist and founding member David Freiberg, drummer Donny Baldwin, bass, keyboard, and synth player Chris Smith, and lead and rhythm guitarist Jude Gold.

The band released its 11th studio album, "Mother of the Sun," in August 2020.

Richardson, who has been with the band since 2008, recalls the experience of becoming the lead singer as a "dream come true" despite already having success with her own band and even garnered a Grammy nomination for her group's 2003 release of "The Road to Bliss."

"...I never had that sort of breakthrough success," Richardson said last October before their initial scheduled show at RiverPark Center. "By the time I got in the band, I was almost 40 years old and I had decades of experience as a front woman. I just think it was a great move ... in my life."

While the lineup and the energy may be different than what older fans are familiar with, Richardson said the current line up has attracted their own legion of listeners.

"Our band has fans — people who love our Jefferson Starship," she said in October. "They love the old music, and of course we play it (because) that's our job, but they like hearing us do the music. It's been incredibly rewarding, exciting — everything."

Tickets are on sale now at riverparkcenter.org.

Tickets that were purchased for the October show date will be honored. Contact RiverPark Center at 270-687-2770 to update ticket information if needed or for any additional questions.