This show marks my eighth time officially capturing a Stars show. And I’ve seen them plenty of times as a fan. They have to be one of my all-time favourite bands. Their music resonates deeply with me and I love their spirit.
Stars shows always have a great sense of community, positivity, and growth; they are life affirming experiences that makes my soul glow. These Christmas-time shows have become a tradition. A tradition that I support wholeheartedly. It's an example of the kind of uplifting experiences that I need in my life to feel whole and right. This show delivered all those feelings, even on a cold, early winter night.
Their set was a mix of tunes from early classics all the way to their latest release, "Christmas Anyway". Some of the highlights for me were "Reunion", an ode to Etobicoke School of the Arts with "Patterns", "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It", "Changes", "Elevator Love Letter", "Take Me to the Riot", "Dead Hearts", "Your Ex Lover is Dead" (the lyrics "live through this and you won’t look back" hit hard tonight), the main set closer "Ageless Beauty"followed by an encore featuring "No One Is Lost" and, of course, my favourite Christmas song, "Fairytale of New York". The full setlist is here.
Lydia Persaud opened up the show with a set of beautiful songs. My photos of their set are here.
Lots of previous Stars shows are featured on one in ten words. Check out my photos of them at: The Danforth Music Hall in 2021, Supercrawl 2019, The Danforth Music Hall in 2018, in 2016, and in 2015, when they played Nathan Phillips Square during the Pan Am Games and when they played Riot Fest 2014.
Take a listen to "Christmas Anyway"