On Wednesday, Starset delivered a visual and immersive rock spectacle at Portland, Oregon’s Roseland Theater. With no opening band, Starset was the beginning, the middle and final act in incredible journey through the Starset experience.
On a more recent tour, Nu Metal band Korn used an LED array in front of the band to produce a three-dimensional stage experience. But having a massive LED panel in front of the band proved distracting and obscured the view of the performance.
On this, Starset’s “Immersion:The Final Chapter” tour, Lead Singer/Mad Scientist Dustin Bates took that 3D experience to a new level with a unique LED array. This array however, was composed of eight, roughly 4ft. diameter, overlapped spinning LED devices which I can only surmise are the product of Bates’ electronic wizardry. This array was placed between the band and the audience, however because it was composed of spinning blades (caution: moving machinery), it did not obscure the view of the performers. What it did do though, was absolutely incredible. Combined with the conventional LED panels layered behind the band, the front LED array projected somewhat of a heads-up-display of data and other imagery that tied into the musical experience. My poor nerd-heart was bursting with adrenaline and enthusiasm for what Starset accomplished through this innovative melding of technology and music.
Starset played nearly twenty songs as they guided us through their vision, beginning with “Unbecoming”. Staples such as “Frequency”, “Monster”, and of course “My Demons” made the set.
This tour is a must-see for every Starset fan. And for those that have yet to see a Starset show, this may be the path to a new addiction. If I could see this show several more times, I would absolutely make that happen because this is THE immersive concert experience. This is the future, now.
