Starset Montreal Concert Review and Photos

Sheila

Concerts

2 minute read

Last night, Starset transformed their concert into an epic sci-fi adventure. Dubbed "Demonstrations," these performances felt like stepping into a futuristic movie where every song contributes to a thrilling narrative.

The show kicked off with "Unbecoming," as masked frontman Dustin Bates joined Adam Gilbert (drums), Siobhan Richards (violin), Zuzana Engererova (cello), and Cory Juba (synth/guitar/piano) on a riser stage, while Ron DeChant (bass) and Brock Richards (guitars) stayed below.

Next up was "Carnivore," followed by two tracks from their album Divisions: "MANIFEST" and "PERFECT MACHINE." "Frequency" came next, leading into one of their big hits, "TRIALS."

One of the coolest features was their giant LCD fan setup at the front of the stage. These spinning fans created stunning 3D visuals that added an extra layer of wow to the show. However, the fans did make it a bit tricky to see the band members rocking out. But that’s all part of the magic—Starset’s shows are designed to immerse you in their grand, futuristic universe, where technology and storytelling take center stage.

"It Has Begun" and "Waiting on the Sky to Change" followed. Then came "DEVOLUTION" and "INFECTED" from their album Horizons. Siobhan and Zuzana switched places with Ron and Brock for the next song, "TELEKINETIC." When Dustin asked the crowd if they wanted to hear a new song, their enthusiastic reaction made it clear that they did—so "Brave New World" was up next.

"FAULTLINE" followed, and then another hit, "Monster." After the song, stagehands began removing the fan rig, causing a few fans to mistakenly leave, thinking the show was over despite the dimmed lights and a transition video playing.

For those who stayed, "Degenerate" (another new song) was followed by "ECHO." Before playing it, Dustin acknowledged that it was nice to be closer to the crowd now that the fan rig was gone (and for those following the storyline, this also meant the BMI machine was down too).

"Die For You" came next, and to close out the main set, they played "Halo" and "My Demons" from their debut album Transmissions. For the encore, they treated the audience to their latest release, "TokSik." The visuals continued to play a major role in the experience, making the stage a high-tech wonderland that sometimes felt like another world. They promised that their next demonstration would be even bigger. It’ll be hard to top the production from this tour, but we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.