About a quarter of the crowd at Portland’s Hawthorne Theater raised their hands when lead singer Dustin Bates asked, “How many of you have never been to one of our demonstrations?” And it occurred to me that first of all, these people are in for a treat; second, why does Dustin use the term “demonstration” to describe their concerts.
In fact, a Starset demonstration is more than just a band rehashing a selection of tunes from their discography. It’s an immersive experience that grips you from the onset and carries you to some destination you didn’t know you were searching for. If you have the Starset app installed on your mobile device, you can view an augmented reality component of the demonstration in real-time.
In their LED enhanced spacesuits, Ron DeChant on bass and Brock Richards on the guitar thrash at the front of the stage, while Adam Gilbert pounds the skins behind a wall of “smart glass.” The glass transitions from translucent to opaque, but is also capable of displaying video imagery, enhancing the visual experience. Violinist Siobhán Cronin and cellist Jonathan Kampfe also packed into the tiny Hawthorne Theater space. Dustin worked the front of the stage while occasionally stepping behind a complex array of electronics or becoming engulfed in enough fog to make half the venue vanish.
The Hawthorne Theater was packed from wall to wall, the upstairs balcony at capacity for most of the night. But through the entire duration of the set the crew from Starset were very down-to-earth. Dustin would address the crowd, not as a rock star, but as if we were all just hanging out in his backyard, sharing campfire stories.
The demonstration by Starset was incredible. But, just because it was a demonstration doesn’t eliminate the fact that it was a kick ass concert.
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All Writing & Photography: Terry L. White
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