Photo Ladies 12/12/21 Photo Ladies 12/12/21

Starset @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY

Photos and words courtesy of Ana C Santos | December 4th 2021

It’s been over two years since STARSET was last in New York City. At the time, I remember leaving that particular show with such a buzz of excitement because the band felt like it was literally blasting into the stratosphere. A new album, Divisions, had just come out and the conceptually-driven band was poised to tour and expand its intriguing lore. And then the pandemic hit. Fast forward two years and a couple of months later, STARSET returned with its fourth studio album, Horizons and New York City was ready.

Playing in the newly remodeled Irving Plaza, STARSET blasted off with a symbiotic exchange of energy between the stage and the audience that felt purely electrifying. For the first time since I discovered them accidentally in another NYC stage in 2014, STARSET played as a full seven-piece ensemble - something that frontman Dustin Bates revealed had always been his vision. Clad in Mad-Maxian dystopian aesthetic for the first half of the show before donning their staple space suits, the band swept through an extremely well balanced setlist. While it naturally focused more heavily on new songs from 2019’s Divisions, and Horizons there was a helping of older stand out tracks like “Monster,” “Carnivore,” “Satellite” and the finisher “My Demons” to make veteran fans happy.

With a track record of incredible shows (which the band calls demonstrations), strong performances and an ever-growing fanbase invested in the sci-fi saga that has been unfolding over the last four albums (not to mention a novel and comic book), I’m looking forward to what STARSET has in store for us next.

Setlist:

01. The Breach

02. Where The Skies End

03. Infected

04. Carnivore

05. Let It Die

06. Trials

07. Manifest

08. Echo

09. Monster

10. Point of No Return

11. It Has Begun

12. Earthrise

13. Satellite

14. Devolution

15. For Whom the Bell Tolls

16. Ricochet

17. Die for You

18. My Demons

The Word Alive

Photo Ladies 8/13/19 Photo Ladies 8/13/19

Breaking Benjamin @ PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Breaking Benjamin with Chevelle, Three Days Grace and Dorothy

Photos & review courtesy of Ana Santos | July 31 2019

Currently on tour in support of Ember, Breaking Benjamin swept through NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center on Wednesday, July 31st. With a tour ticket stacked with incredible supporting bands – Diamante, Dorothy, Three Days Grace and Chevelle – it is no wonder that energy was high and voices loud throughout the night.

From Dorothy’s soaring blues vocals, to Three Days Grace’s raucous rock n’ roll energy and Chevelle’s flawless alternative edge, Breaking Benjamin easily absorbed the audience’s fervor and shot it back with unwavering showmanship. Kicking things off with “Red Cold River,” “I Will Not Bow” and “Never Again,” the band took a short breather to invite a number of young rock n’ roll initiates on stage. When the number of children almost outnumbered the number of VIP pass holders on stage, the band continued with a bombastic 17-track set including a badass medley featuring everything from Star Wars to Nirvana to Metallica.

It’s been my experience over recent years that a Breaking Benjamin show is consistently solid and once again they did not disappoint. This tour’s outstandingly strong support made the long night that much more worth it.

Chevelle