An entertaining example of a lineage was exhibited  April 9 at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville.

Starship, an off-shoot of the iconic late-1960s rock group, Jefferson Airplane,  played a 6,500-seat venue that was filled a third-of-the-way, delivering a diverse, nearly two-hour set.

The biggest response of the night from the largely grey-haired crowd came when Starship vocalist Stephanie Calvert — young and clad in black — belted out “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love” — two songs strongly associated with Grace Slick, the original Jefferson Airplane vocalist. As Calvert sang and Starship played, fans packed close to the stage and jumped up and down.

Doing the lion’s share of the vocal work was Mickey Thomas, 67, (the so-called “last man standing” — or only original member) who sang alongside Slick, now 75, in the Jefferson Starship incantation of the outfit. “We have a 50-year history,” he told the U.S. Cellular Center crowd, “and we’re still evolving.”

He then strapped on an acoustic guitar and he and the rest of the electric band went into a 10-minute-or-so jazz fusion excursion. Crowd response was minimal.

Most of the music, however, drew loud applause —  polished versions of the pop-rock Starship anthems that sold millions of records in the 1980s. “We were between albums and we didn’t know what we were going to do,” said Thomas in introducing “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” It turned out to be the biggest single we ever had.”

Starship, whose most recent CD is 2013’s “Loveless Fascination,” also played “We Built This City,” a catchy rocking ode to power and greed. “I see it as a protest song against the way things can be in the music industry,” Thomas said.

Sporting sunglasses and dancing some of the night with his microphone stand, Thomas came to the fore of the show business world in 1978, when he was a member of the Elvin Bishop Group. Thomas was the lead vocalist on EBG’s hit, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”  

At the Asheville concert, he displayed a well-preserved set of pipes in putting the song across. Impressive also was guitarist John Roth, who finished off his solo by plucking out the notes with his teeth. 

The North Tower Band, an all-white soul band from Raleigh, opened the show.With a horn section and determination, the group entertained the crowd for 45 minutes or so. 

Proceeds from the benefit, hosted by the Asheville Firefighters Association, will go to a Chapel Hill camp for children burned in fires, a local victim’s program and a coat distribution program.