Stars tour into the new year :: Music News :: Articles

Stars' high-wire brand of melodramatic indie pop effectively obliterates any middle ground when it comes to evaluating their stage show. This past Saturday, myself and another Paste staffer saw the same Stars performance at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse and came away with rather divergent opinions on the matter. To spare you the messy details, I was mesmerized and she was horrified.

From the group's outrageous fashion sense, to its songs, to its penchant for tossing flowers into the audience, we couldn't really find any common ground to stand upon, other than agreeing that the venue's audio mixing sounded off that night. Maybe I'm just biased because I got a free flower out of the show and she didn't. My co-worker also missed Amy Millan's impromptu crowd surfing, which all but redeemed any of her singing partner Torquil Campbell's shrill stage antics.

Suffice to say, if you enjoy Stars' music and what it stands for, the live version will hardly leave you disappointed. Stars are out on the road through early 2008, so there's plenty of chances to grab the Canadian six-piece as it criss-crosses North America and then heads off to the U.K. for a string of '08 engagements.

Take me, take me to the concert:

October
31 - Dallas, Texas @ House of Blues *

November
2 - Chicago, Ill. @ Vic Theatre *
3 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Pantages Theatre *
4 - Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown *
6 - Denver, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre *
8 - Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theatre *
9 - San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues **
10 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Orpheum **
12 - Pomona, Calif. @ The Glass House
13 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Bimbo's 365 Club **
14 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Bimbo's 365 Club **
15 - Portland, Ore. @ The Crystal Ballroom ***
16 - Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox ***
17 - Vancouver, B.C. @ The Commodore Ballroom (two shows) ***
20 - Calgary, Alberta @ MacEwan Ballroom ***
21 - Edmonton, Alberta @ Edmonton Events Centre ***
22 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ The Odeon Events Centre ***
23 - Regina, Saskatchewan @ The Distrikt ***
24 - Winnipeg, Manitoba @ Burton Cummings Theatre ***
26 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre
27 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre ***
28 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre
29 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre
30 - Montreal, Quebec @ Le National

December
1 - Montreal, Quebec @ Le National

January
24 - Dublin, Ireland @ Tripod
26 - Aberdeen, Scotland @ Moshulu
27 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Oran Mor
28 - Birmingham, England @ Barfly
29 - London, England @ Koko
30 - Bristol, England @ Thekla Social
31 - Manchester, England @ Academy 3

February
2 - Nottingham, England @ Rescue Rooms
3 - Sheffield, England @ Leadmill
4 - Brighton, England @ Concorde 2

* w/ Magnet
** w/ Lloyd Cole
*** w/ Miracle Fortress

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