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Live Review: Stars glow in a sea of color and sound Sunday night @ Royale

Credit: Charles Dion

Royale stood aloof in a cloud of red and pink Sunday night, as Bocelli and Pavarotti played through the Theatre District nightclub and live music venue’s speakers. Bizarre, one might think. But a gathering of perfectly sophisticated couples and concert­goers stood there, holding on with excitement. A giddiness riveted the crowd. The sound faded, drenching the stage in an even deeper fog of red, as the members of Stars tuned, turned, and got ready to drop some unbelievable knowledge on everyone inside the venue Sunday.

Stars launched into their set with new, electrifying single “From The Night”, off of their October-­released record, No One is Lost. Frontman Torquil Campbell all but flew across the stage in a seersucker suit (or something along those lines) as the heroes of all things synth pop danced a fine line between their assumed genre and something closer to disco. The audience erupted in a heap of cheers: dancing, and leaping, and jumping, in sync with Campbell and his band.

And then there was, and to quote Campbell, “the beautiful Amy Millan.” She sashayed from one side to the other, like a mermaid in a flowing, black and grey striped dress. Her hair was pulled back, into a modern Bee­hive inspired up-do: it screamed B­52’s, yet instead of cheese punk (yes, I made that up) we got the perfect counterpart to the Stars frontman: something that borders on pop princess, with a Misfit’s edge. We got pure, unadulterated talent. Millan, as some may know, switches it up between singing, in her super sweet, Emily Haines­-like voice, and playing the guitar. Both of which she executed flawlessly that evening.

Newer songs like “This is The Last Time,” “You Keep Coming Up,” and “Trap Door” reverberated from the light up amplifiers, as the stage stood basically in the dark. impeccable synthesizer riffs and heady drum beats eradicated flashes of lights, piercing the crowd in a wide array of hues. Roy G. Biv sprung alive in bursts, yet the relatively dark scenery added to a sort of mystique in Stars performance. It expected you to listen, and not only watch.

The neoteric tracks of the performance clung to the audience members and demanded a raw appreciation. However, when the “classics” came around, the whole dynamic changed. As I looked around Royale, “Your Ex-­Lover is Dead,” and “Elevator Love Letter” turned things silent. Things got dreamy. I surveyed my fellow Stars fans, only to find their faces in a sort of daze.

It was as if these songs somehow tripped their time machines. Like behind their corneas played those wistful memories. A film reel in black and white, played in slow time, while your first love matched the rhythm of these songs. Stars somehow inched their way back into the soundtracks of all our lives on said night. Just like, when we were a little bit younger. The nostalgia was pervasive.

Additional photos by Charles Dion…

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