What I'm Trying To Say

The Stars concert was the BEST concert of 2005. Hands down. I had high expectations and Stars blew my mind away. I can't even express how I felt. On Saturday night, I felt I was witnessing, experiencing a transcendent performance of musical genius. Amy Millan's unique voice is so pure, almost ethereal but so powerful at the same time. Torq Campbell's voice is also amazing - I fell in love with his voice the very first time I heard it. He has amazing stage presence and he can sing love songs without sounding gay and without any irony.

Lee's Palace was transformed into a winter wonderland. There were small Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling and around the speakers. White Christmas lights lined the stage, which also had a backdrop of a cabin in the middle of a snowy forest. There were two projections on opposite walls of another wintery scene. To top it off, the show was being taped for a music DVD and a music video (for "The First Five Times"), so there were cameras set up everywhere. The Stars' Christmas present to the town in which they grew up. I think the Toronto shows are the largest - six sold-out shows! I don't know how large are their other venues on the tour, but I am so thankful to them that they decided to keep it small for their Toronto fans and played at Lee's Palace.

The highlight of the night was when they played "One More Night" followed by "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead." That was when I felt like I was going to cry. Obviously I love it when a band plays the song you want them to play during the concert, but when they play my two favourite songs, it's such an emotional high, it's numbing.

Other memorable moments:
- When the opening band, Birling, sang Log Driver's Waltz. I remember watching the short film from the National Film Board when I was a kid. I got really nostalgic because I had completely forgotten about the song & the film.
- Torq timing the lighting of the sparkler to the line "we will always be a light" during "Ageless Beauty."
- The crowd love of the band. This audience knew their shit.
- The sing-alongs, especially during "What I'm Trying To Say."
- Evan putting on his pimpin' white fur coat during the last song of the evening...
- ...which was a cover of The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York."
- When Torq said, "This song is decided to James." And then Jimmy Shaw of Metric came on stage to pass Evan an acoustic guitar for the final song.

What an incredible end to a very eventful concert year. I hope this DVD comes out soon. I hope Stars comes back soon.

Usually after a concert, I will listen to the songs of the band maybe once or twice more before I move on to another CD. Afterall, the concert experience is usually the climax of my experience of an album of a particular band. But this time, after the Stars concert, my love for the band has just intensified 10 000 times. I have been listening to them non-stop since the concert. Death repeat. Love it.