Despite buying tickets at the box office after the first notice when I heard they were available, I can't honestly say I was entirely excited about seeing Starsailor on 9/11; but as the tickets had already been paid for, I didn't want them to go to waste so I met up with my brother and lined up at the venue.

Arriving at Irving Plaza a little after 7:30 PM behind about 8 people ahead of us, right from the start the vibe was good... we were chatting with other people on queue, joking around with Best Buy "scratch-and-win" giveaway cards the promoters were handing out by the stack full, and saying how James Walsh looks bigger in real life when the band passed us by.

After two opening acts, which the crowd politely applauded the first (didn't catch her name) and genuinely enjoyed the second (Peter Walker), Starsailor took the stage at about 10:30 PM, starting the set with "In My Blood." My brother and I were three rows behind the stage, perfectly front and center, and surrounded by rabid Starsailor fans; much to my surprise... singing along with every single song while James Walsh and co. seemingly enjoying themselves, even flashing a few cheeky smiles every now and then.

Despite the fact that the crowd (or at least the people around me at the front of the stage) knew every song, of course fan favourites like "Poor Misguided Fool," "Alcoholic," "Four to the Floor," and "In the Crossfire" got the best reception. Unfortunately for a few fans catcalling, they didnî-¹ play "Lullaby."

Highlights included the aggressive "Counterfeit Life," two versions of "Four to the Floor," the latter being a rendering of the Thin White Duke remix where James ditched his guitar and bounced around the stage while the crowd bounced along, the awesome "Tie Up My Hands" with improvised lyrics at the end of the song, James teaching the crowd to sing the chorus of "Keep Us Together," (which was pretty much unnecessary as everyone knew it already) to which everyone sang at the top of their lungs (myself included), and the raucous cheering for "Good Souls." The encore consisted of James doing pretty much a solo cover version of "Donî-¹ Let Me Down," to which the crowd boisterously approved, and everyone going absolutely berserk with "Silence is Easy." The night ended way too soon right at midnight.

James thanked everyone for coming out on what is a grim anniversary but despite this fact, the band and fans were determined to have a good time. I'm glad I went to the show; it was truly a memorable night.
 

*setlist*
In My Blood
Counterfeit Life
Poor Misguided Fool
Alcoholic
Fidelity
This Time
Fever
Get Out While You Can
In The Crossfire
Four to the Floor
FTTF (Thin White Duke version)
Tie Up My Hands
Keep Us Together
Good Souls

*encore*
Don't Let Me Down (Beatles cover)
Silence Is Easy