It was a packed venue and an emotional crowd for Stars’ second show at Racket (and their fourth in New York within five months). As someone who is new to the world of Stars, I was surprised to see how much of a shared sense of community was present throughout the audience—with many of the fans having spent many years growing up with the band. One person who lined up early to get to the front of the stage, who claimed that the band got him through really hard times as a high schooler, has been trying to see them live for 19 years. Another fan had been to almost every Stars show in New York and was sharing with those around her about how dedicated and friendly the fan base is.

The opener, Kevin Devine, didn’t seem like much of a stranger either for folks who came early. Devine “let [him] walk [us] to Stars” with a set that was full of heart, politics, and fun stories about his long music career and times he’s played with the headlining band in now-defunct New York venues.

Afterwards, Stars quickly took the stage. With a simple “ya ready?!” from vocalist Torquil Campbell, the band went right into the first song off of Set Yourself On Fire—the album that they are celebrating its 20th anniversary on this tour. As the band made their way through the entirety of the album, I could feel how much the crowd was connecting to it by singing every word. This culminated with those on stage putting down their instruments, gathering at the center, and turning the microphone towards the crowd to sing “Calendar Girl,” the last song off of the album. Campbell teed this up by saying that after the album was released in 2004, it wasn’t really “finished” until the fans took it as their own and gave it a life spanning two decades, so it was the fans’ turn to sing.

After “Calendar Girl,” Stars played through a mix of songs from the rest of their catalog. At one point a fan exclaimed that this show means they are also twenty years older, to which vocalist and guitarist Amy Millan said “if you are twenty years older, I imagine you’ve lost people along the way. This song is for your ghosts.” Fittingly, the band went into Dead Hearts off of their 2010 album, The Five Ghosts.

This fan’s epiphany was felt across the venue as an indication that this was a night of celebration and looking back on two decades of music—both for the band and the crowd who’s been with Stars since 2004 (and will be here for many more years to come).

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Photos and Words by Bobby Nicholas III
@bobbograph on Instagram