ALBANY — Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas was announced Wednesday as the featured act to perform in New York State’s Fourth of July Celebration at the Empire State Plaza this summer.
The state Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy announced the news while sharing another collaborative effort with corporate sponsor Price Chopper / Market 32 to present New York State’s 46th Independence Day celebration at the Empire State Plaza.
“We are excited to be returning to a full season of festivals and concerts for the 2022 Summer at Plaza season, which will kick off with New York State’s Fourth of July Celebration Presented by Price Chopper/Market 32,” Moy said. “Capping off an evening full of family-friendly activities, a special performance by Starship followed by a spectacular fireworks display will make the Empire State Plaza the perfect place to gather with family, friends, and neighbors to celebrate July 4.”
The event will feature an exciting program filled with incredible live music, great food and beverages, and the best fireworks display in the region. Since the country’s bicentennial in 1976, OGS has partnered with Price Chopper/Market 32 to put on an Independence Day event that has traditionally drawn tens of thousands of people to the Empire State Plaza.
“Price Chopper/Market 32 is thrilled to resume its annual tradition of gathering community to celebrate our freedom and salute our veterans and active military with the region’s premier Independence Day Celebration and fireworks display,” said Mona Golub, the hometown supermarket chain’s VP of Public Relations & Consumer Services. “We value our partnership with NYS OGS and are grateful that the stars are aligning to allow neighbors and friends to congregate at the majestic Empire State Plaza, once again.”
This year’s July 4 event will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. and feature a performance by Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas.
Thomas is the owner of the soaring voice that propelled Starship through the decades of the ’80s and ’90s. With his soulful and compelling vocals, Mickey has established himself as one of rock music’s most recognizable stars.
Thomas made his mark in 1976 as lead vocalist on the mega-hit “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” with The Elvin Bishop Band. In 1979, Thomas joined the Jefferson Starship as lead vocalist after the departure of Grace Slick and Marty Balin.
Backed by the power of Thomas’ vocals, Jefferson Starship immediately scored a #1 hit with “Jane.” With this new sound and powerful new vocals, the group was renamed Starship and continued to record an amazing string of hits, including “No Way Out,” “We Built This City,” “Sara,” and an Oscar nomination for the #1 hit “Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now” from the film “Mannequin.” Other top hits included “Find Your Way Back,” “Stranger,” “Laying It On The Line,” and “It’s Not Over Til It’s Over,” which became Major League Baseball’s theme in 1987.
Every Starship album released since 1979 has gone Gold, Platinum, or Multi-Platinum. Thomas’ stellar voice and video charisma on Starship’s video classics such as “We Built This City,” and “Sara” became staples on MTV and VH1. The material covered during Starship’s live performances ranges from Thomas’ tenure with The Elvin Bishop Band and Starship and songs from his two solo albums.
OGS will continue to announce the lineup of events and performers for the 2022 Summer at the Plaza season in the coming weeks.
Based in Schenectady, NY, Price Chopper/Market 32 operates 130 Price Chopper and Market 32 grocery stores and one Market Bistro, employing 18,000 teammates in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The American-owned company, founded by the Golub family in 1932, prides itself on longstanding traditions of innovative food merchandising, cutting-edge brand development and store design, leadership in community service, and cooperative employee relations. For additional information, please visit www.pricechopper.com.
