Jefferson Starship’s enduring voyage touches down in Connecticut

Jefferson Starship performed at Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut in June 21 2025 photos by Kris Forland — Photo by Kris Forland

Fifty years in, Jefferson Starship still knows how to make a 500-seat room feel like a launchpad. On Saturday night, June 21^st, at the Ridgefield Playhouse, the band delivered a brisk, nostalgia-sweet set that doubled as a tour of three intertwined legacies: Jefferson Airplane’s psychedelia, Jefferson Starship’s arena-rock sheen, and Starship’s glossy chart-toppers. The show was billed as part of their 50th-anniversary “Runaway Again” run, and Ridgefield turned out ready to sing.

They opened with the one-two punch that defines the modern Jefferson Starship gig: “Find Your Way Back” into “Stranger,” both from 1981’s Modern Times, and both still built for lift-off. Cathy Richardson handled the Grace-adjacent vocals with crackling power—more lead pilot than tribute steward—while Jude Gold’s guitar lines carved bright, melodic contrails over Donny Baldwin’s heavy, unfussy backbeat. The early stretch (“Setting Sun,” “Runaway,” “With Your Love”) settled into an amiable cruise, the band trusting songcraft and muscle memory more than stage patter.

The set’s emotional hinge arrived with the Airplane chestnuts. “Embryonic Journey” glowed in miniature—just a few perfect minutes of filigree—before the house lights narrowed and Richardson unfurled a slow-coiling “White Rabbit,” the kind of performance that remembers the song’s menace as much as its melody. The room leaned forward, then burst; after five decades, that crescendo still lands like a ritual.

For the pop faithful, the late-set sugar rush delivered: “Sara,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” and, yes, “We Built This City.” You can argue about the latter’s place in the canon; you cannot argue with the way a theater full of grown-ups will shout the chorus with zero shame. Jefferson Starship treats those ’80s behemoths without irony—played straight, they become communal, and surprisingly warm.

Part of the night’s charge is simply seeing this lineup still firing. Founding Airplane/Starship alum David Freiberg, now mid-80s, remains a steadying presence, his harmonies and keys stitching eras together. Baldwin’s drums anchor everything; Connecticut native Chris Smith colors the corners on keys; Gold brings gleam and bite; and Richardson, who joined in 2008, feels like the voice that lets the band honor its past without being trapped by it.

Ridgefield can make even veteran acts play tighter and closer, and that intimacy suited the material. The band didn’t reinvent the catalog, but they didn’t have to. What they offered was continuity: a living thread from Haight Street to MTV to a summer night in Connecticut, where an audience spanning three generations stood up together on the choruses. If a 50th-anniversary tour risks being a museum piece, Jefferson Starship’s answer is simple—keep the engines tuned, fly the hits, and let the songs do the talking. On this night, they did.

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Jefferson Starship’s enduring voyage touches down in Connecticut