REVIEW: Stars at 930 Club

BY SARAH SOPHER// What a special band and concert! Stars brought me all the feels at their show tonight. Honestly, just hearing Torquil and Amy singing together gets me emotional. The concert began with tracks from their latest album, “No One Falls In Love In Fluorescent Light,” and then, the Canadian band continued their almost 2-hour set with tracks from so many of their different albums. My favorite part of the show was hearing both of the singers describe their experiences at the 930 Club and in Washington, DC.  Torquil gave the audience something to be proud of when he told us, “If society treated artists the way the 930 Club treats artists, we would have a better society in my opinion.” Amy continued, “I have a one-year-old son and he’s already been to the 930 Club twice! So.. We are lucky.” Stars noted that this tour is unique in that there have been multiple children in the audience at recent shows. It feels nice to know that artists are treated right at our local venue.

I love when artists talk to their fans. Torquil looked out at the crowd and described tonight’s audience. “I see kids here with their families, and I see young people, and I see people I’ve known since they were kids …. we are playing this show for you!”  There were all sorts of fans out tonight, and the room was full of happy energy.  A special moment occurred when the band played “Personal.” The crowd became silent, bobbed their heads, and, for a few minutes, the whisper-like words inspired reflection and empathy. I loved this song so much because it was the first Stars song that I ever heard almost a decade ago, and I completely forgot about it until I heard it tonight. Hearing the story of this song unfold through a live performance felt so real.  I could feel the vulnerability of Amy’s character, Caroline. Soon after this moment, the stars uplifted the crowd with their song “No One is Lost” and encouraged us to put our hands up and jump around. The video above was taken during “No One is Lost.”

I saw the true colors of the band and felt their compassion when I walked into the bathroom stall and saw a flyer on the door reminding us that grounds we were standing on is the traditional territory of the Pamunkey and Piscataway Tribes. Living in this area for four years, I never knew the names of these tribes and I am thankful to Stars for honoring them. The thought and emotion that went into this concert was obvious, and it made me love Stars even more than before. I can’t wait to see the band perform again.

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