Starset
July 7th, 2014
Columbus, Ohio
The Basement
Review by Dalton Bartlett
My first time seeing Starset in just under a month was going to be their ‘Transmission’ CD release show regardless of my capacity in attending. Booked to play the… cozy, in spite of other terms, venue aptly titled “The Basement”, the band was sure to get intimate with their fans from the get go. After touring with this band through the month of April, I was glad to be back at the helm of their merchandise operation and even happier to be able to take pictures of them once again. It’s been a long journey as one of the first documented supporters of Starset and it’s all been completely worth it. 311 was playing an outdoors show literally about ten feet away from The Basement but I wasn’t surprised to see a line wrapped around the corner of the brick building when I pulled up to the venue. It was raining lightly at this point, after having just survived a torrential downpour on the highway, I was glad to be in the muggy confides of the basement. People sprinkled in few by few, but by the time Starset was ready to take the stage, I would say there were two hundred uncomfortable sardines watching the stage. The music started around eight o’clock when local pop punk band Vice On Victory took the stage. Manning the Starset merchandise at the very back of the venue, I couldn’t see much over the bar and heads in front of me. I did, however, have the best spot in the room sonically. It was refreshing to hear some pop punk, not only fronted by a woman, but that also didn’t mention the band hating their hometown and how they couldn’t wait to get out. In fact, most of the band’s music was upbeat and kept the crowd on their toes for a half hour. It was nice to hear the band get some good receptions from the crowd, because it let me know that the crowd was hear to listen to music, and having seen a lot of shows where the crowds literally shouted obscenities at the opening band, I was proud to be from Columbus at this point. The choice in opening acts was a bit eclectic to say the least, and that was highlight by direct support band I, Apollo. I’m a fan of most music, especially most genres that can go under the rock category. As of late however, I’ve been growing less and less fond of the metalcore genre for the simplicity it promotes anymore. The term “Risecore” has been growing over the last couple of years and I think that would be the proper label to throw at I, Apollo. There’s a crowd for those types of bands but Starset’s crowd isn’t it. The constant chugging in the breakdowns and growling vocals didn’t much appeal to the crowd that came primarily to listen to the Space themed “Cinematic Rock” that Starset provides. The crowd didn’t give much of a reaction throughout I, Apollo’s set… but I’m tempted to say that it could’ve been much worse. At this point, when stage hands were tearing down I, Apollo’s equipment and setting up Starset’s stuff, I was prepping my camera equipment at the merchandise table, getting ready to shoot the band that I had been a die hard supporter of since day one. I’m a fan before anything else and the music on ‘Transmissions’ compels me. It would be the first time the crowd would know all of the music that Starset would be playing because a stream of the entire album had been put up onto music label Razor & Tie’s website just a few days prior – and they would be playing ALL of their music. The full CD, just not in the order it’s played on the album. I was tasked with the responsibility of plugging in the LED lights the illuminate the inside of bass drum head, and starting the tracks to start the show. As I walked onto the stage, I could hear the crowd beginning to rumble as they were anxious to see Starset step onto the stage. It was already a couple minutes past the listed set starting time and I was the relief the crowd wanted to see. As the lights lit up the circular head of the drum in blue, the crowd started to cheer and I stood from behind the kit and took my place at the front of the stage. Signaling to the sound guy at Front of House to turn down the mix of music playing from a phone at the board, I prepared to start the show. Letting the room breathe a
minute between the house music dying and the start of the tracks, I pressed the button I learned months ago to press to start the show. Nothing happened. I pressed it again… and still nothing. Then I thought back to a show Starset played with Gemini Syndrome in Kansas back in the middle of April. Lead singer, Dustin Bates, told me that if one press of the button doesn’t work to double click it like the button on the mouse of a computer. On the brink of panicking as I would be ruining the very beginning of their show, only their SECOND show in their hometown ever… I double clicked the button – and the tracks started to play. With a sigh of relief, I could hear a few fans in the front chuckle (as I did in my head), before I walked off the stage and grabbed my camera from where I let it sit. They walked out one by one; Adam, Ron, Brock all donning their spacesuit get up and space helmet to boot; Dustin in his mad scientist vest and bow tie… which would be gone by the third song – if “depths of Hell” was a temperature it would have been recorded in The Basement on this night. As “First Light”, the intro to ‘Transmissions’, played to the crowd and each guy made their way onto the stage the crowd grew loud in anticipation of the show that was going to take place before them. The band merged seamlessly between “First Light” and “Rise and Fall” to kick off the show. The in your face guitar tones and drum rhythm could make the dullest of crowds move instantly, and sure enough, it did. Members from both opening bands were gathered in a cluster to the side of the stage to watch Starset perform. It was a great feeling to see this band grow before my eyes, quite literally. As Brock and Ron both stood on their stage risers, their heads were inches away from air ducts and the ceiling that I feared for their safety if either of them decided to jump off of the risers to add some flair to the show. After the drum heavy end to “Rise and Fall” Dustin took to his microphone and bled a little bit of hometown pride, “This is usually where I say we’re Starset from Columbus, Ohio… but I think you already know that.” The crowd cheered as they all had this sense of collectivity about them, knowing they were watching one of the fastest rising rock bands in the country with their first single cracking into the Top Ten of the rock charts just the day before and still rising on the charts, right on the Avenged Sevendfold’s “This Means War” tail. From this point on, the songs they played in what order are really a blur. I’ve seen the show so many times that I don’t even pay attention to what song they’re playing, I just sing. Like everyone else in the building; I sang, and I sang, and I sang. Of course, I took photos as well. I moved throughout the venue, from side to side, to standing on a wall ledge off the stage right side of the floor. The light work was the best I had ever seen at The Basement, which I enjoyed as a photographer more than anything. The crowd was moving to every song. Per usual, as is the band’s M.O., there wasn’t much monologue from Dustin during the set. As into the show as the crowd had been throughout the first few songs, when the strings began playing to the beginning of “Carnivore” the crowd roared for the hard rock anthem that was one of two songs posted on the band’s facebook page back in the late months of 2013. Stopping the tracks immediately, Dustin spoke briefly to shed a bit of humor between songs… “not yet, I’m only teasing.” The crowd sighed heavily, a bit of back and forth between singer and crowd. Laughing into the microphone, Dustin quickly followed up his previous statement. “Okay, I’ll play it if you sing it.” Starting the tracks once again, the crowd was louder than the first time the tracks kicked in and performance didn’t disappointment. Of course it didn’t. The intensity of the lyrics in the pre-chorus always hit me hard, they have for a long time and hearing a room of people singing those words gave me chills from head to toe. “Who are you to change this world? Silly boy, no one needs to hear your words. Let it go.” Again, back to everything being a blur. I will say that the emotion I felt throughout this show was some
of the purest emotion I’ve ever felt at a concert. It was a mix of being able to finally see this album come to light, so I can’t even begin to fathom what the members of the band feel like, along with the crowd being so receptive to everything the band played. It was great to see a room packed full of people singing these songs. A lot of people say rock is dead, but if you were at The Basement on this night, you wouldn’t even be able to mutter the words. I’ll keep my opinions vague, but there are bands out there that don’t have nearly the talent level in any facet of musicianship that Starset has, but are currently hailed as the biggest bands in Rock. I think that’ll be changing soon. I sure hope so anyway. The depth to Starset’s music, and the movement with the Starset Society is something that should not be pushed to the wayside. My honorable mention for song of the night has to go to “Dark On Me”, something about this song strikes a chord inside me to sing louder than I do for any other. I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but I’m sure the people in my immediate vicinity didn’t appreciate being able to hear me singing this song as opposed to Dustin. The song doesn’t have much going on musically from the beginning through the first chorus, and I’m pretty sure I was singing louder than Dustin was. Oh well. Enough about me. The song of the night has to go to “My Demons” of course. The feeling in the building was indescribable. Every person in the building was shouting at the top of their lungs. The song that had been getting spins on local rock station 99.7 The Blitz was now getting played to a proper crowd with knowledge of the song. This felt like a big deal, and to me, to the band, to the fans in The Basement – it was a big deal. In the scope of music? Only time will tell if ‘Transmissions’ is an album that will be looked back on ten or twenty years from now with love, with hate, or at all. The music industry is a funny thing. It’s hard to tell how anything will fair in the long run. After “My Demons” came to a close, Dustin took to the microphone again as an interlude started to play over the speakers, “This is usually where the show ends… but not tonight.” Each member stepped off stage as the interlude played. They gathered their breath, drank copious amounts of water and regrouped before getting back on stage to close out the show with three or four more songs. The order of the songs doesn’t matter. The fact they played the whole thing flawlessly is an accomplishment in and of itself as a lot of bands have to practice for months on end before playing an album from start to finish. After the show concluded, I manned the merchandise table once again as a friend helped pass out the free CD’s each attendee was promised if they presented their ticket to us after the show had wrapped up. The entire gang was at the table signing CD’s, taking pictures, and meeting every fan that wanted to stop by and let them know just how good the show was. I had to do the typical photobomb every now and then, because it’s part of my job description as the merch guy. The night had a very feel good atmosphere to it. A lot of members of previous local bands came out to show their support for the Columbus band that was finally making it big. It’s still a matter of time before we find out how Starset’s debut album, ‘Transmissions’, will fair on the charts. But I think in the scope of the entire album, any song is a strong contender to be their third single. Personally, I’d love to see “Halo” come out and be the song that transcends genres for Starset… as horrible as a comparison this might be to some but in the same light that “Lips of an Angel” transcended the rock genre for Hinder, I think “Halo” can do that for Starset. One thing is for sure about Starset and the Starset Society’s move to release their message to the masses.
Setlist;
First Light
Rise and Fall
Down With the Fallen
Antigravity
Halo
Telescope
Carnivore
It Has Begun
The Future Is Now
My Demons
Point of No Return
Dark On Me
Let It Die
