Concert Review
Jefferson Starship
Thursday October 2, 2025
Bears Den
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
Niagara Falls, NY
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
When fans gathered inside the cozy Bear’s Den at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino Thursday night many probably were unaware they were in store for a history lesson. When a band has such a storied past like Jefferson Starship with all its connections to Jefferson Airplane and Starship as well the many incarnations of the band itself mixed in, there is a lot to digest.
The band itself believe it or not still features original Jefferson Starship member David Freiburg who was with the band way back in 1974. His first tenure lasted until 1985. The multi-instrumentalist signed back up for more in 2005 and has remained since as he recently celebrated his 87th birthday. Drummer Donny Baldwin joined the band in 1982 and stayed until 1989 after the band morphed into Starship. He came back into the fold in 2008 and still plays as powerful as I remembered him in the 1980’s. Cathy Richardson joined also in 2008 and has served as guitarist/lead vocalist ever since. Rounding out the band is guitarist Jude Gold and keyboardist Chris Smith who has been with Jefferson Starship since 1998 making the latter one of the longest tenured members of the band.
The interesting thing about Jefferson Starship is the fact that they play a few songs recorded by Starship. Freiberg was an initial member of Starship but left after the famous lawsuit, before Knee Deep In The Hoopla was recorded. Baldwin of course played on the first three Starship albums up to an including Love Among The Cannibals. The band played a healthy portion of the Jefferson Starship hits including “Runaway” and “Jane” among them.
Of course any Jefferson Starship/Starhip show would not be complete without taking a dive into Surrealistic Pillow from Jefferson Airplane. “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love” both songs made famous by Grace Slick would be remiss if they were not played. Ending the show with “Volunteers” was a fitting way to close out the evening.
While there are many legacy bands out performing with new members and no originals, at least Starship at this point still has some links that date back to earlier versions of the group. The fans really seemed to enjoy hearing the plethora of songs the band offered up during their 80-minute set. The band played the songs to near perfection with a solid performance which is all you could ask from them.
Set List
Find Your Way Back
Stranger
Runaway
With Your Love
Sara
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now
Miracles
Embryonic Journey
White Rabbit
We Built This City
Jane
Fooled Around And Fell In Love (chorus)
Somebody To Love
Encore
God Bless America
Volunteers
