My review of the concert November 5, 2016 (if anyone is curious)
Tegan and Sara at Stage AE, With Opening Band Torres
The band Tegan and Sara, fronted by Canadian twin sisters, Tegan and Sara Quin, performed last night at Stage AE as part of their North American Love You to Death tour. Defying genre classification, they have moved from having an indie-folksy sound to the synthpop of their current album. The opening act was an indie rocker named Mackenzie Scott, who performs under the musical pseudonym of Torres.
Torres started out placid, but gradually built in intensity throughout the set, culminating in a song where lead singer Mackenzie/Torres screamed out “F— you!” with passion. What Torres lacked in stage presence, some of her body movements seeming stiff or forced, she made up for in talent. She possessed a wide vocal range, moving in timbre from hauntingly breathy to fiercely graveled. The lyrics that I could make out were compelling, but there was too much background noise to understand them all.
The lead singer, herself, was humble as she expressed her gratitude to the audience, thanking them for being so generous with their attention, and again when she had a false start. At times seemingly timid and endearingly awkward, Mackenzie/Torres ended her set by riding her electric guitar provocatively.
It was good that Torres ended on a high note so that the crowd was ready for the high-energy duo of Tegan and Sara (plus their backing band). They both started and ended ready for a rave, but slowed it down at times, including a couple of songs on the acoustic guitar that dated from ten years ago. They played a good mix of old and new material, and spent a lot of time in what is arguably my favorite album, The Con.
If not my favorite, The Con is at least the first album I was exposed to. The song Tegan and Sara opened up with, “Back in Your Head,” was the first song of theirs I’d ever heard, listening to KEXP Seattle streaming over the Internet with a friend. Many of their other songs also brought back memories of what I was doing or my state of mind when I first heard each one. The lyrics have always been extremely relatable to me, whether filled with angst, anticipation, or unadulterated joy.
Tegan and Sara themselves were a joy to watch, as they clearly enjoy what they do. They were engaging and interacted with the audience frequently. Deciding “the burgh” was “too butch” a nickname for Pittsburgh, Sara tried out referring to the city as “Pittsy.” Tegan attempted to ingratiate herself with the audience by letting on that when her favorite hockey team was out, she rooted for the Penguins, even though Sara went with Montreal.
It wasn’t all fun and games though, as they paused at one point for a “word from the Canadian government,” in which Sara emphasized the importance of the US presidential election this year and reminded the audience of how a vote for the wrong person would affect people like her in the LBGTQ+ community. It also appeared as if she was wearing a Hillary Clinton pin on her lapel. The twins, especially Sara, are passionate advocates for gay rights, both identifying as lesbians, themselves.
They performed for nearly two hours without a break, including an encore. Tegan talked about how they hate to ever cancel a show and figure if they can at least be physically present on the stage (even if running to the bathroom frequently), that counted in the eyes of the fans. Luckily, they both seemed in good health this evening, performing with exuberance and buoyancy. I, for one, feel honored to have been in attendance, as it felt like a sacred gift from Tegan and Sara, even though we paid to attend. They were completely present, not “phoning it in” like some artists do when they reach a certain point in their careers, and the audience returned the favor with undivided attention.