Stars at the Pageant

I was so happy to hear Stars are coming to The Pageant on September 25. Their last show in St. Louis, which took place five months ago at Wash. U., was such a teaser: it was closed to the public. I think the band underestimates the number of fans in St. Louis. They many not be on Billboard’s charts or even on the radio, but they still have quite a following here ... unlike in the city of Columbia.  Needing a Stars fix, some friends and I road-tripped it there a few months ago to see them at The Blue Note.  That venue is not large by any standards, but I doubt the place was even half full of people. Maybe I get into the music a little too much, but everyone else looked like zombies. They stood there not singing, not dancing, not showing one ounce of excitement, while I, on the other hand, was singing along to every song and throwing in a dance move when it seemed fit. This was probably worst performance of theirs I’ve ever seen, but I believe that’s only because of the crowd (or lack thereof) and its off-putting vibe. Here in St. Louis, their shows are always packed, and the fans (yes, they’re actually fans!) create a comfortable and welcoming environment. Thursday’s show is sure to be a good one because they’re playing to people who truly love their music and will flock to The Pageant to see them. It will be interesting to hear them perform songs from their latest album, In Our Bedroom After the War, an album quite different from previous ones. They have yet to play songs from this album for the St. Louis public, making this an even more anticipated show for me. —Alex Bates, St. Louis Magazine Fall Intern