STS9's Two Nights At Brooklyn Steel Were "Out of This World"

On September 13th and 14th, STS9 captivated fans with two nights of unforgettable sets at one of my favorite New York venues, the Brooklyn Steel. Reeling in the glow of yet another extremely successful tour, the five-piece ensemble delivered an exhilarative weekend of music packed with all the feel-good vibes. As the band prepared for their inaugural Camp Elsewhere, they launched their return to The Empire City with some of the most adrenalized, improvisational, tasty jams for New York’s Sectornauts.

STS9 was on fire right out of the gate, kicking the night off with one of Chromalight’s singles, “Fires.” Night one was a special one, exhibiting a killer setlist that included three “Modular“ tracks including “Out Of This World,” “Vapors,” and a monumentally rare “Muir Soul.” For those not in the know, “Modular” is a brainchild of STS9’s keyboardist David Phipps, where he introduces modular synthesizers into the track, improvising and changing the characteristics of the sounds, showcasing his and the band’s masterful production and ingenuity. The night concluded with explosive jammed-out fan favorites “When The Dust Settles” and a “Circus” encore that still gives me chills.

Somehow STS9 managed to top night one with a congruously balanced setlist of new songs off Chromalight, some of their most acclaimed works, and much of their older discography that launched their career into what it is today. Some of the biggest highlights for me were undoubtedly the electric segue of two of my favorite Tribe songs, Get Loud” into “Seed” “Modular,” as well as “Shock Doctrine” into “Ramone & Emilio” and probably the peak of all my years of seeing my favorite band, a “Click Lang Echo” “Modular.” The finale was truly momentous with a unification of new and old as they wrapped up with an exquisite “Haze” into “Peoples.”

These two shows had me all up in my feelings and being amongst all my fellow fans dancing our hearts out to STS9 was a weekend for the books. Thank you to David, Alana, Hunter, Zach, Jeffree, and the fans for bringing all the vibes. As Zach says, it’s all “love, love, love, love, love!”