ashley linnenbank | designer

“take me take me to the riot. and let me STAY.”  i hear it now. the theatre of it all. the way torq hits that one note, and makes it reverberate within your soul. i didn’t know it at the time, but this song would become a reminder of the ethos this band thrusts upon you if you have the priveledge to experience them live. i wasn’t prepared to fall in love that night. but then again, when is one really prepared? i don’t have a setlist. i didn’t catch a flower. i didn’t even bring my camera. but i will never forget the show. saturday, october 28th. 8:30 pm. the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. $17.50.  the venue isn’t very big and the crowd smaller and younger than i would have imagined. but this seems to be one of those fortunate shows where the band has yet to realize their popularity and feel truly grateful for your appreciation. magnet opens. i hadn’t heard any of his latest material, but i own his prior release and it is so full and lush and beautiful. he plays a short acoustic set of no more than six songs. i recognize none of the songs, but enjoy them all. he seems sweet, and a little sheepish at the start. a small norwegian, slightly older than i’d imagined, singing songs of experienced heartbreak with a tender, optimistic voice. i don’t know what to expect, but he does not disappoint. a short interlude. small talk. the lights dim.  Stars take the stage. with gusto. they lead into the first song, their latest single ‘take me to the riot’. the bass player standing stage right is the first to throw flowers (part of the stage decor) into the crowd. over the course of the evening he will appear to experience random bursts of energy and begin jumping around and twirling in circles at the strangest times. between the shaggy haired heads blocking my view i catch a glimpse of the drummer, Pat McGee, his fashion clearly influence by the Dirty South. he is wearing a wife beater, bling, white wayfarers, a bandana and a baseball hat. he looks the least french and like he’s spent his time on the bus doing pushups. at the left of the stage is the newest and youngest member, a quiet guitar player who steps forward literally into the spotlight for a few solos throughout the night. every now and then towards the start, the lead singers, amy millan and torquil campbell, head his way and appear to help him find his feet. later, once he is feeling comfortable with his eyes closed in the midst of a solo, torquil tries to push him off the stage. Torq’s presence is commanding from the start. once he sets foot onstage, i immediately question Torquil’s sexuality (if i hadn’t already). his fashion and his theatrical singing voice are all that is suspect, but then again he is canadian. he wears a wedding ring, and i wonder who wears the other. for the moment i am convinced he’s gay, and this makes me like him more. And though this misperception (as I later discovered) doesn’t change the dynamic between he and Amy Millan, it definately makes certain duets seem more theatre than reality. Nevertheless, the interaction between these two is so fun to watch play out. Love songs have characters and they are acting it out before my eyes.  Some lyrics are just better in person. At times Torquil’s performance acknowledges the ridiculosity and adds to the humor. The lyrics to What I’m Trying to Say have always possessed a certain truthful humor -  “I am trying to say What I want to say Without having to say ‘I love you.” But to watch Amy and Torq belt out these lines, practically screaming this circumspect truth at one another, I can’t help but chuckle. And for Soft Revolution, he changes the words slightly to “The revolution wasn’t bad, we hit the streets with all we had - a tape recording with the sound of the Velvet Underground, a K-Way jacket torn to shreds, and a dream inside our heads - and after changing everything they couldn’t tell we couldn’t sing, we couldn’t tell they couldn’t sing, you couldn’t tell i can’t sing, and that changes everything.” Well played, Torq. The set was going along nicely, humorously strange stage antics accompanying the great music, and then… Love, love, love, love, love. It springs up when you least expect it and takes hold of all that you are. It can occur in a fraction of a moment, or be something you realize after the fact, a sudden epiphany years down the road - THAT is what that was. However it is discovered, once it is so, it cannot be retracted. Like words you can’t take back - love can never be stricken from the record. And songs that were of consequence in the affair take you back to that time as quickly as the scent of her perfume. The night is going along splendidly. I’m enjoying every minute of the show and give little thought to anything else. It happens later in the evening, was it during the encore? Suddenly, I open my eyes a bit wider and see the beauty radiating from Amy Millan. The soundtrack to our love affair - “My Favorite Book.” Once they instrumental leads into this song, she takes command of the stage. She seems so vulnerable and free while dancing. It is as if she is in her apartment, singing a song about her lover, and dancing all by herself. No insecurity. No hesitation. It is sexy as hell. To this day, when i go to play that song, I feel the need to take a deep breath before it starts. Thinking to myself, here we go again. Preparing my heart to once again feel. There are certain moments of inspiration in life. They usually pop up in the tiny details. A line in a book. A great song. A beautiful day. Every now and again something stops us in our tracks, and makes us realize that every day is a chance to truly BE. to really DO. I realize this is a universal thing. At least I hope to (the) God (I don’t believe in) that everyone experiences this impetus. I figured most people searched for these moments of inspiration in their lives. I had no idea that some live so selflessly that they aim to extract these feelings from others. Stars are that way. Their music has great moments of existentialism. Their live performance makes me open my eyes and listen to the life unfolding. I inhale their message and exhale life. It is the closest thing I’ve experienced to a spiritual awakening. Numerous times i feel drawn to throw my arms in the air, as I’ve only seen in tv church congregations and Steve Martin movies. Torquil’s passion is contagious. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Watch him sing the simple words, “I’m Alive,” and you’ll find yourself joining in. The conviction with which he repeats, “In a cage where only one thing can be free and it’s not you and i,” at once agitates and convinces you to fight back. He prefaces the finale, “In our bedroom after the war” with “here is the song we will sing when that FUCKING war is over.” The performance is the most theatrical of the night, missing only costumes, extras, and a sunlit set. The day the war ends, I know what song I will blast from my speakers. As the song comes to a close, Torquil, having thanked us profusely throughout the night for showing up and listening and loving, repeats over the waning instrumentals, “We are Stars, and so are you. We are Stars, and so are you. We are Stars, and so are you,” once again throwing it back to us to live with reckless abandon.  “Live through this and you won’t look back.”

“take me take me to the riot. and let me STAY.” 

i hear it now. the theatre of it all. the way torq hits that one note, and makes it reverberate within your soul. i didn’t know it at the time, but this song would become a reminder of the ethos this band thrusts upon you if you have the priveledge to experience them live. i wasn’t prepared to fall in love that night. but then again, when is one really prepared? i don’t have a setlist. i didn’t catch a flower. i didn’t even bring my camera. but i will never forget the show.

saturday, october 28th. 8:30 pm. the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. $17.50. 

the venue isn’t very big and the crowd smaller and younger than i would have imagined. but this seems to be one of those fortunate shows where the band has yet to realize their popularity and feel truly grateful for your appreciation.

magnet opens. i hadn’t heard any of his latest material, but i own his prior release and it is so full and lush and beautiful. he plays a short acoustic set of no more than six songs. i recognize none of the songs, but enjoy them all. he seems sweet, and a little sheepish at the start. a small norwegian, slightly older than i’d imagined, singing songs of experienced heartbreak with a tender, optimistic voice. i don’t know what to expect, but he does not disappoint.

a short interlude. small talk. the lights dim. 

Stars take the stage. with gusto. they lead into the first song, their latest single ‘take me to the riot’. the bass player standing stage right is the first to throw flowers (part of the stage decor) into the crowd. over the course of the evening he will appear to experience random bursts of energy and begin jumping around and twirling in circles at the strangest times. between the shaggy haired heads blocking my view i catch a glimpse of the drummer, Pat McGee, his fashion clearly influence by the Dirty South. he is wearing a wife beater, bling, white wayfarers, a bandana and a baseball hat. he looks the least french and like he’s spent his time on the bus doing pushups. at the left of the stage is the newest and youngest member, a quiet guitar player who steps forward literally into the spotlight for a few solos throughout the night. every now and then towards the start, the lead singers, amy millan and torquil campbell, head his way and appear to help him find his feet. later, once he is feeling comfortable with his eyes closed in the midst of a solo, torquil tries to push him off the stage. Torq’s presence is commanding from the start. once he sets foot onstage, i immediately question Torquil’s sexuality (if i hadn’t already). his fashion and his theatrical singing voice are all that is suspect, but then again he is canadian. he wears a wedding ring, and i wonder who wears the other. for the moment i am convinced he’s gay, and this makes me like him more. And though this misperception (as I later discovered) doesn’t change the dynamic between he and Amy Millan, it definately makes certain duets seem more theatre than reality. Nevertheless, the interaction between these two is so fun to watch play out. Love songs have characters and they are acting it out before my eyes. 

Some lyrics are just better in person. At times Torquil’s performance acknowledges the ridiculosity and adds to the humor. The lyrics to What I’m Trying to Say have always possessed a certain truthful humor -  “I am trying to say What I want to say Without having to say ‘I love you.” But to watch Amy and Torq belt out these lines, practically screaming this circumspect truth at one another, I can’t help but chuckle. And for Soft Revolution, he changes the words slightly to “The revolution wasn’t bad, we hit the streets with all we had - a tape recording with the sound of the Velvet Underground, a K-Way jacket torn to shreds, and a dream inside our heads - and after changing everything they couldn’t tell we couldn’t sing, we couldn’t tell they couldn’t sing, you couldn’t tell i can’t sing, and that changes everything.” Well played, Torq. The set was going along nicely, humorously strange stage antics accompanying the great music, and then…

Love, love, love, love, love. It springs up when you least expect it and takes hold of all that you are. It can occur in a fraction of a moment, or be something you realize after the fact, a sudden epiphany years down the road - THAT is what that was. However it is discovered, once it is so, it cannot be retracted. Like words you can’t take back - love can never be stricken from the record. And songs that were of consequence in the affair take you back to that time as quickly as the scent of her perfume. The night is going along splendidly. I’m enjoying every minute of the show and give little thought to anything else. It happens later in the evening, was it during the encore? Suddenly, I open my eyes a bit wider and see the beauty radiating from Amy Millan. The soundtrack to our love affair - “My Favorite Book.” Once they instrumental leads into this song, she takes command of the stage. She seems so vulnerable and free while dancing. It is as if she is in her apartment, singing a song about her lover, and dancing all by herself. No insecurity. No hesitation. It is sexy as hell. To this day, when i go to play that song, I feel the need to take a deep breath before it starts. Thinking to myself, here we go again. Preparing my heart to once again feel.

There are certain moments of inspiration in life. They usually pop up in the tiny details. A line in a book. A great song. A beautiful day. Every now and again something stops us in our tracks, and makes us realize that every day is a chance to truly BE. to really DO. I realize this is a universal thing. At least I hope to (the) God (I don’t believe in) that everyone experiences this impetus. I figured most people searched for these moments of inspiration in their lives. I had no idea that some live so selflessly that they aim to extract these feelings from others. Stars are that way. Their music has great moments of existentialism. Their live performance makes me open my eyes and listen to the life unfolding. I inhale their message and exhale life. It is the closest thing I’ve experienced to a spiritual awakening. Numerous times i feel drawn to throw my arms in the air, as I’ve only seen in tv church congregations and Steve Martin movies.

Torquil’s passion is contagious. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Watch him sing the simple words, “I’m Alive,” and you’ll find yourself joining in. The conviction with which he repeats, “In a cage where only one thing can be free and it’s not you and i,” at once agitates and convinces you to fight back. He prefaces the finale, “In our bedroom after the war” with “here is the song we will sing when that FUCKING war is over.” The performance is the most theatrical of the night, missing only costumes, extras, and a sunlit set. The day the war ends, I know what song I will blast from my speakers. As the song comes to a close, Torquil, having thanked us profusely throughout the night for showing up and listening and loving, repeats over the waning instrumentals, “We are Stars, and so are you. We are Stars, and so are you. We are Stars, and so are you,” once again throwing it back to us to live with reckless abandon. 

“Live through this and you won’t look back.”

  1. linnenbank posted this