When Starset announced their Horizons Demonstrations Commence tour, to say I was excited to see them was a major understatement. It has been years since I’ve seen them play so it was definitely long overdue. Another bonus that I haven’t seen in quite some time also was Red. It was going to be a great night full of good music and everyone was ready for an almost sold-out show on the Rockwell side of The Complex.
First up was an alternative rock band called Smash Into Pieces. Their drummer was the first to set foot out onto the stage in a mask that lit up that reminded me of the trending Netflix series, Squid Game. They’re a band from Sweden and it was their first time in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fans were excited that they rolled through town and were going to soak up every second of their set, they had claimed their spots right up against the barricade where band members were able to spot them and pointed them out when they noticed them jumping around and singing along to every song.
Fame on Fire came on next and just like Smash Into Pieces they had fans scattered throughout the crowd who were extremely excited for their set. They were quite a unique band that I was happy to see live for the first time ever hearing them. The band is one of the few genre-defying bands in the scene that range from rock, alternative, and a little bit of hip-hop. However strange that may sound it is definitely worth checking out the Florida band. The band has an upcoming album being released on July 22nd and currently has three singles off of the album which are; Cut Throat, Plastic Heart, and Lost In Doubt and they performed all of the singles on top of their few old ones. An extra fun twist to the setlist they played an absolute classic, Numb by Linkin Park which put all of the fans into the feels. I’ve never heard a band play a cover of a Linkin Park song before so it was definitely a treat.
Red came on stage and fans went wild for the Christian rock band from Tennessee, their stage setup was interesting and it was hard to keep up with the band and the stacks of old-school box televisions that were streaming political clips that had matched the setting and message that went along with their songs. Their eight-song setlist had flown by and fans were definitely wishing for a longer set but seeing them compared to the last time I had seen them which was five-plus years ago it had felt like no time had passed. Fans in Salt Lake City had reassured them that they were definitely missed when asked who has been a fan for quite some time now, the majority of the room went absolutely wild.
The minute the changeover from Red’s set to Starset’s a white curtain was raised completely blocking the crowd’s view from any sense of what the stage set-up would look like, when this usually happens I get anxious and start to piece together what it may be. Starset’s stage setup/production had definitely exceeded any and all of my expectations, my jaw had literally dropped when I saw it from the lasers to the intricate spaced apart screens and their iconic star. It had taken me a minute to recollect myself after taking it all in and start photographing their set. Vocalist, Dustin Bates, had greeted the crowd, “Hello Salt Lake City! I feel like every time we come back here the crowd just gets bigger and bigger. How many of you have been fans since the very first album? We thank you so much for being along for the ride and all the newcomers who showed up along the way.” There is no doubt that their fanbase continues to grow and get bigger as the band grows itself. They put on such a wild performance that is undeniably worth catching when given a chance. To express their gratitude to fans both new and old they had played a variety of songs with the newest songs off of their Horizons albums and even ones from their very first album Transmissions. I was already grateful enough to be seeing the band again but after that night I was ten times more grateful.