Starset is one of the more interesting rock bands of the past decade. One that not only has a knack for writing huge, hook-laden rock anthems, but also crafting an incredibly interesting backstory. The story is one that few bands could bring to life without looking silly, but frontman Dustin Bates has the credibility to not only back it up, but move the ideas forward in a unique way. He’s an engineer by trade and is into science, movies, politics, and history. Quite frankly, he knows his shit when it comes to crafting the band’s genre-bending concept albums and and meditations on complex sci-fi themes and theatrics.
I don’t mind rock or metal with a side of sci-fi if it’s done right. I thought Megadeth’s Dystopia was a great effort, and Starset’s message of caution to the world against “the perils of the future at the hands of manipulated technology” takes this idea to another level. The fictional Starset Society was formed as part of a public outreach initiative to alert the masses to the contents of “the Message,” a mysterious signal from space. There’s much more to unpack around the overarching concept of the band, so go to their website and YouTube channel for a better explanation than I could ever provide here.
The fact that these guys bring such a big show to an intimate theater speaks volumes to their commitment. Most bands struggle to have decent lighting and move beyond a meter or two from their designated spot, but not Starset. They bring everything and the kitchen sink, including their signature spacesuits from the tour around their first album which plays nicely into the evolution of not only the band’s look, but the sound too.
The setlist was an interesting one. Their biggest hit “Monster” among the first three, the highlight of the night, “Richochet” bringing the tempo down for a bit, then a mix of songs from all three records to round it all out. They even managed to bring in an abbreviated cover of the Zeppelin classic “Kashmir,” and a violin-fueled version of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
Then they wrapped up the evening with the epic “My Demons” which had the place going berserk and even fueling a pit for a minute or two. The night ended quite abruptly—mind you there were 18 songs in the set if my count is correct. So I and the 1,500 plus crowd were expecting an encore, but instead, we got an outro of Toto’s “Africa” over the sound system which kind of worked, I think. On the way out I mentioned the song to the guy in front of me and he looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently Toto hasn’t crossed over to Millennials or Gen Z yet. (Looking at you Steve Lukather.)
