Stars Plot 20th Anniversary Tour of Breakthrough Record 'Set Yourself on Fire'
The long-running Canadian indie band are taking their classic album on tour this fall, alongside a vinyl re-release set for July.
Stars circa 2004
Montreal indie darlings Stars are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough record, Set Yourself on Fire.
The album is getting a vinyl re-release this summer on influential Canadian label Arts & Crafts, featuring rare additional songs. The band will then take the record on tour this fall for a fifteen-date anniversary tour, with Canadian stops in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver.
Written and recorded in a cabin during a fierce Canadian winter, with the help of Metric's James Shaw, the album is a dramatic storm of emotion right from its opening line: "When there's nothing left to burn / you have to set yourself on fire," spoken by vocalist Torquil Campbell's father, the late actor Douglas Campbell. Set Yourself on Fire was nominated for album of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards and was certified platinum in 2006, while memorable single "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" had prominent placements in TV shows like The O.C. and Degrassi: The Next Generation. The album is a highlight from a period when Canadian indie bands like Broken Social Scene and Metric were garnering international attention, and music blogs were pushing indie music in general to new commercial heights.
20 years later, Stars are "still doing it all for the fans," the band states in an announcement. Patreon subscribers will have access to exclusive merch for the anniversary tour, as well as afterparties and band conversations. The band released their latest album in 2022, From Capelton Hill, which was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Prize. Stars' Amy Millan also recently served as a consultant on the TV show Daisy Jones & the Six, which follows the trials and tribulations of life in a rock band.
Stars are far from the only band celebrating a big anniversary this year. French duo Air just announced a 25th anniversary tour of their 1998 album Moon Safari with dates in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Rockstars Green Day are celebrating two anniversaries this year — 2004's American Idiot and 1994's Dookie — with performances at Osheaga and Toronto's Rogers Centre. Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan is taking her album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy on a 30th anniversary tour this summer, and indie heroes Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service are coming to Vancouver and Toronto for the 20th anniversaries of Transatlanticism and Give Up.
General sale for the Set Yourself On Fire tour starts Mar. 8. Find the full list of tour dates below.
STARS - SET YOURSELF ON FIRE 20th ANNIVERSARY LIVE DATES - 2024
Sept 18: @ Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ / Tickets
Sept 19: @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY / Tickets
Sept 20: @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY / Tickets
Sept 21: @ Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA / Tickets
Sept 22: @ Royale, Boston, MA / Tickets
Sep 28: @ Rialto, Montreal, QC / Tickets
Oct 2: @ Bronson Centre, Ottawa, ON / Tickets
Oct 3: @ Concert Hall, Toronto, ON / Tickets
Oct 18: @ Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA / Tickets
Oct 19: @ Pappy + Harriets (Indoor), Pioneertown, CA / Tickets
Oct 20: @ The Chapel, San Francisco, CA / Tickets
Oct 22: @ Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR / Tickets
Oct 23 @ The Vogue, Vancouver, BC / Tickets
Oct 24: @ Showbox, Seattle, WA / Tickets
Oct 26: @ Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO / Tickets
