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August 20, 2020

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The Struts performed a live rock and roll show at The Starlight Drive In in Butler, PA last night.   This was the second of two drive in shows The Struts performed, the first was in Philly the night before.

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A stage was set up right under the drive in screen; not unlike a stage that you would see at a large music festival.  The setting of Starlight is a gradual incline from the stage to the back of the drive in.  This provided great site lines as people had to remain in front of their vehicles or in them, while the show was going on.  It was a similar feeling as being on the at Blossom, but much more spread out. 

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It was a very safe environment for people to see a live concert.  You were permitted four people per vehicle and each person's temperature was checked before entry was permitted.  They also had a list of regulations that they gave you, such as no congregating and masks were mandatory anytime you left the area of your vehicle.

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The only real negative was that you were not permitted to bring your own food or drinks.  Trunks were checked before entry to make sure nothing could be smuggled in.  There was only one food truck that offered corn dogs, fries and chicken strips.  Another food truck or three would have made things a lot better.

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On to the show.

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The Struts took the stage just a bit past 9:00 to the tune of "Primadonna Like Me."  The four piece outfit from England were joined by a two-piece horn section that also played percussion and keyboards.  This is the first time that additional musicians have joined the band in the three years that I have seen them, and they added to the musical experience.

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Front man Luke Spiller was dressed in a purple sequined shirt, black pants and what looked like Ace Frehely style, eight inch platform boots.   The singer kept the audience going with other fast-paced songs like "Body Talks" and "Kiss This."

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He noted that the band has spent some time during the pandemic writing and recording a new album.  They used the opportunity to showcase three new tunes in their set.  The appropriately titled "Strange Days," "An"other Hit" and "Cool" were all received well.  

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Towards the end of the show, Spiller asked one person from each group to sit in their car.  Instead of doing the traditional call and response to see which side was louder, Spiller instead split the audience in half and had them honk their horns in unison to mimic the inflections of his voice.   I appreciated the fact that Spiller tried to bring some normalcy to the show.

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"Put Your Money On Me" and "One Night Only" closed out the main set.  Instead of leaving the stage with the rest of his band, Spiller stayed on stage to talk to the audience.  He thanked everyone for coming out (it was nearly sold out) and reminded everyone to stay healthy and to wash their hands after they take a dump.

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The band then returned to play "Could Have Been Me." to end the show.  

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My only complaint is that they could have played a few more songs.  A twelve song set for a headlining act isn't nearly long enough.

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Overall, it was a good experience and I would go back to Starlight to see another show.

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Photos and review by Greg Drugan

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