Starset And Year Of The Locust – Show Review And Photos

Immersion is defined as a deep mental involvement in something. There is no better word to both label and describe Starset’s current concert phenomenon. Immersion Part I hit Bogart’s in Cincinnati last week, and it was a feast for the senses. Lights. Lasers. Colors. Unique sights and sounds not experienced at most concerts. Even the lineup was an eclectic mix of styles that engaged the audience from beginning to end.

Hailing from New York, Year of the Locust (YOTL) opened the extravaganza with their unique style of stripped down rock and roll. They did not have an impressive light show or awesome special effects, but what they did have was pure passion and impressive musicality that grabbed the crowd’s attention.

YOTL kicked things off with their high-energy anthem “Rise Up!” from their 2016 album Devolver. They came out head banging and commanding the stage. The bass rattled ribs and the vocal harmonies were impressive. The band more than mastered the art of the opening band as they got the crowd singing and clapping and jumping along to song after song. Even when YOTL slowed things down for their ballad “Movin On”, the performance was impassioned and engaging. They were everything an opening band should be and more.

Year Of The Locust Photo Gallery

Next up was electronic/alternative musician Grabbitz. Also from New York, Grabbitz offered the audience a much different experience than YOTL. It was one guy playing his music and mixing tracks and beats with a huge electronic board. He showed off his dance moves and vocal chops while performing some of his original music. He had a lot of great energy and really worked both the stage and the audience.

When Starset finally took the stage, the crowd was more than pumped and ready. They were indeed ready to be immersed in the spectacular show that stimulated nearly all the senses. A Starset show is not merely a concert. It is a complex and compelling cinematic creation that combines music and movement and technology with lasers and lights and the trademark Starset space suits to create an experience unlike any other.

Starset opened with their current hit single “Satellite” from their sophomore album entitled Vessels. The crowd went absolutely wild. They went on to play a mixture of tunes from both Vessels and their first album Transmissions. They mixed things up with stripped-down acoustic versions of certain songs and with sweeping theatrical versions of others.

The musical talent of Starset is undeniable. Lead vocalist Dustin Bates has a strong and captivating voice that is perfectly supported by Brock Richards (guitar), Ron DeChant (bass), and Adam Gilbert (drums). Adding an additional dimension to the music is the string section made up of Siobhan Cronin (violin) and John Catchings (cello). Throw in the technology and special effects and the result is absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage for fear I would miss something.

Starset’s showmanship is impeccable. They each play their part perfectly and it works like a finely tuned machine. It is beyond brilliant and just can’t be missed.