I Dreamed I was Dying As I So Often Do...

And when I awoke I was sure it was true
I ran to the window; threw my head to the sky
And said whoever is up there, please don't let me die...

Last night I, along with a group of compatriots, attended a musical performance by the Montreal indie-electro-pop group Stars. The show was pretty solid; as good as it could have been given the uber-crappy atmosphere. Stars performed at The Gargoyle, which is, for all intensive purposes, the basement of the Washington University student center. And this means no beer, no smoking, no air conditioning, and apparently no deodorant. It smelled like Bo Jackson in there. Architecturally, The Gargoyle reminds me of every high school basement house party I went to in Elgin. Rafters, cement floors, low ceilings, etc… Acoustically, The Gargoyle is a mess. Wilco would sound sub-par in this Wash U cave. Well, maybe not Wilco, but you know what I’m trying to say.

Murphy’s Law was in full effect last night. It was brutally hot, the drum mics went out, Amy Millan (who also lends her gentle vocals to Arts & Crafts labelmates Broken Social Scene) could barely be heard because of a bad amp, and at one point the Gargoyle lost all the lights. The opening band, The Elected were apparently pulled over on the road before the show and ticketed for smoking the pot. (Interesting side note, The Elected frontman Blake Sennett (also the of the band Rilo Kiley) was a child actor appearing in such primo roles as the tiny bully, Jimmy “The Rat,” on Boy Meets World, and a starring role on Nickelodeon’s Salute Your Shorts… you know… Camp Anawanna. Back then he was known as Blake Soper. I guess Sennett rocks harder than Soper).

AND the average age of the crowd was probably 14. There were so many children there, I was amazed. Kids were making out everywhere and yelling things like “You Rock” and “Fuckin’ A.” I couldn’t have possibly imagined that so many people would be at the show, let alone so many on-the-brink-of-pubescent teens. Then I remembered the O.C. factor. Sure enough, Stars single “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” is featured on Music from the O.C. Volume 5. Thank you, Seth Cohen.

Despite all of these troublesome elements, the music was good, and that’s what we came for. Playing an impressive amount of songs from older albums Heart and Nightsongs, Stars performed for over 90 minutes, sprinkling in all of the choice hits from Set Yourself on Fire. Lead singer Torquil Campbell chatted with the crowd with the popular topics of love, death, and Dick Cheney. He kept saying, “It’s all up to you. It’s all up to you.” Because of the crowded space in which the performance took place, I had to stretch to see bassist and Wildboy Chris Pontius look-a-like Evan Cranly (who also plays for Broken Social Scene), who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself a little while sweating a lot. I did, however, have a clear view to the beautiful violinist (whose name I cannot pin down) who I watched for 90% of the show. If you should happen to read this, nameless blonde violinist girl, MARRY ME.
So, all in all, it was another good concert in a string of good concerts to come. Coming up, Destroyer, Art Brut, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Secret Machines, The New Pornographers, The Boy Least Likely To, The Magic Numbers, and Belle & Sebastian (all at South By Southwest), Wilco, Death Cab, Eagles of Death Metal, and The Strokes. I’ll try and give you more reviews as the concerts pass. I hope you all have wonderful weekends. Until Monday…