Starset Immersed Philadelphia in a Cinematic Demonstration 9/10/24
Starset took on Philly’s Fishtown district Tuesday night, illuminating the Fillmore with a vibrant and cinematic demonstration. “Demonstration” is their term for live shows, and that name is fitting. A Starset show isn’t just a concert–It’s a demonstration of their music, their incredible talent, and the agenda of the “Starset Society”.
This was truly a night with Starset. With no opener, a two hour long set, and a sci-fi movie interwoven into it all, Starset gave Philly a show to remember.
Opening with “Unbecoming”, the band came out on stage in elaborate super-hero-like space suits. Their production was truly otherworldly. LED platforms, fans that projected holographic images, and lasers encompassed the stage. The LED backlights and limited spotlights on the band members further lent to the cinematic atmosphere of the performance.
Starset consists of lead vocalist Dustin Bates, drummer Adam Gilbert, bassist Ron DeChant, and guitarist Brock Richards. Their touring members include violinist Siobhán Cronin, cellist Zuzana Engererova, and keyboardist Cory Juba. Together, the seven-piece ensemble creates a near-full orchestra, bringing their cinematic songs to life.
Starset is a concept band, focusing heavily on science fiction stories and themes. Short “movie” clips played between each song, detailing their sci-fi narrative of a near-future dystopian society. A new authoritative government controls everything you say and do with “BMIs”, or “Brain Machine Interfaces”, that are forcibly implanted into everyone’s heads. The narrative shows the oppressive nature of this new global government (called the “New East”) and the rebellion’s work to overthrow it. The story is an allegory for the dangers of advancing technology as it falls into the wrong hands, as well as the importance of personal autonomy. Starset aims to spread the message of the “Starset Society”, a fictional educational society that received a mysterious message from the future warning them about this dystopian world. This narrative spans throughout Starset’s albums, music videos, live shows, and even written material such as books and graphic novels.
Starset gave us two full hours of rock intertwined with their signature sounds of synths, screams, and orchestral instrumentals. My favorite thing about Starset is how much their music feels like movie soundtracks–scores composed by Hans Zimmer or Alan Silvestri. They so effortlessly combine hard rock with cinema, making them one of the most unique and powerful bands out there.
Other notable songs played include “Carnivore”, “Monster”, and “Infected”, along with their new releases “Degenerate”, “Brave New World”, and “TokSik”. They also brought back a long-time fan favorite, “Halo”, which had the crowd erupting in excitement.
Starset splits their show into two parts with a six minute intermission between them. The story that had been unfolding thus far concluded at this intermission point. A hologram appeared and encouraged the crowd to deactivate their BMIs so they could be “free” from the “New East”. The woman in the hologram even mentioned that we were in the Philadelphia region, which was a fun addition.
The show ended with powerhouse tracks “My Demons” and their newest song “TokSik”.
Starset never fails to impress. I highly recommend seeing them on one of their demonstrations. You can find additional tickets and tour dates for their Immersion: The Final Chapter tour here, and be sure to follow Starset on Instagram and Facebook.
