A Triumphant Homecoming for Stars
October 23, 2010 — There really isn’t a venue better fit for Stars than the magnificent Massey Hall. From the moment Torquil Campbell and his bandmates waltzed on the stage, you could tell this wasn’t just an average stop on the band’s tour, but the quintessential moment of “making it” as musicians from Toronto. Although the group will be touring well into November and December, last Saturday’s performance marked a significant homecoming moment in their successful career, now just one year shy of being a decade long.
But first, the opening band: Young Galaxy.
I have had three experiences with the Vancouver born, Montreal blossomed band that is Young Galaxy. Without getting too much into detail, I walked out of the venue the first time I saw them. I’ve never done that before but I just couldn’t get past their alien-esque costumes and a fog machine on the fritz. Later in the spring, they played a modest acoustic set for Live in Bellwoods during NXNE. We then got to see the talent, which was hiding under those horse masks and faces full of glitter. Finally, when they prepared the stage for Stars last Saturday, it became clear this band has not only come into their own, but they knocked us all out on the way, with a powerful performance worthy of a warm-up for the headliners.
Most notably was when Catherine McCandless belted out the robust and unapologetic love song “Firestruck.” Even though the crowd was still settling in their seats, wet from the rain and in anticipation of Stars, this song ignited every empty space of Massey. Whispers were silenced and not a soul inside seemed to care about anything but the performance in front of them. Young Galaxy has thrown me one hundred and eighty degrees around and I couldn’t imagine a better opening act for the indie rock royalty about to grace the stage.
As I paraphrase Stephen Ramsay of Young Galaxy during their opening set: “[Stars] is an amazing band who deserves your love and support. They’re one of those bands who dare to be meaningful, in a cynical way.”
The energy of the crowd couldn’t have agreed more as applause blew through the roof after the telltale strums of “Elevator Love Letter” rang clear just a couple songs in. Campbell didn’t waste any time in telling us to get the hell out of our seats and within seconds, the organized seating plan below me broke out into chaos, with devoted fans thanking the band for their chance to experience the music free of their chairs.
“It takes a lazy person to stay in bed all day on a rainy day, but it takes an exceptionally lazy person to do it on a beautiful day,” Amy Millan tells us during a break between songs. “Be careful though,” she warns, “you can get pregnant that way.”
Such a throwaway comment at first, but it reflects so much Stars represents: love, sex, and death. The feeling of invincibility, the ultimate high, followed by the rock-bottom low, and our most painful moments. No matter who was sitting in those seats that night; if you were a fan of Stars or not, we can all relate to those fundamental feelings. Any talented musician can sing about love and loss, but the success of Stars has been borne from their honest and unashamed recounts of their own experiences.
It certainly helps that Campbell and Millan quite possibly have the most complimentary voices in modern music. After a bench was pushed on stage and Millan sang “Ageless Beauty,” a solo with bassist Evan Cranley, Campbell soon joined them to sing “The Woods.” Accompanied by Chris Seligman on french horn and Cranley trading in his strings for a trombone, the talent of all members shone as bright as any fan could have imagined.
Quite possibly the highlight of the night (and one of the best love duets of all time) was “Your Ex Lover is Dead.” With help from the massive crowd singing along, we were all transported back in time to the song’s release in ’05 with their arguably best album to date, Set Yourself on Fire. Whether or not you were a frequent driver across Pont Champlain, it easy to imagine someone significant from our past when singing: There’s one thing I want to say, so I’ll be brave/ You were what I wanted/ I gave what I gave/ I’m not sorry I met you/ I’m not sorry it’s over/ I’m not sorry there’s nothing to save.
Even with the success of their later albums In Our Bedroom After the War and The Five Ghosts, the band has not abandoned their hauntingly beautiful ballads. Although, there is certainly an 80’s pop influence leaking through on newer tracks like “The Five Ghosts” and “We Don’t Want Your Body.”
“There’s a lot of beautiful ghosts in this building,” Campbell says as he flashes a floodlight across the dark stadium into our eyes, “I hope you brought yours – we brought ours.” With that they led into “Dead Hearts” from Five Ghosts and it was the only time I felt a little caught off-guard. Such a cinematic song filled with melancholy, and all the while, drummer Pat McGee rocked out wearing a helmet made of flashing disco lights.
Yet, if a tacky hat is the only part of the evening I can find unsettling, there’s no reason to complain. If anything, I am beyond excited to have been a part of such a considerable occasion in Canadian music.
Stars, you’ve been with us through our heartbreak and the celebration that comes after. I hope you enjoyed your night as much as we did. Welcome home.
