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Photos: Smashing Pumpkins at the Wang Theatre

Live Reviews

Sweet but short

Chalk it up to a pre-emptive hunger for gluttony. Tegan and Sara’s Thanksgiving Eve set at the Berklee Performance Center was full of charm and technical proficiency, but something was missing. The 80-minute set probably would have clocked in at under an hour if not for the charming banter the twins have become known for. That was fun, and there weren’t any noticeable lulls. Still, the evening felt a little light on songs, particularly for a duo five albums into their career.

The July release of The Con (Vapor/Sire) marked a commercial breakthrough for Tegan and Sara, thanks in large part to the clean hooks of “Back in Your Head.” Overall, it shifted from the folkier arrangements of their earlier albums to a more-produced new-wavish æsthetic, helped along by producer Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie (and, perhaps, guest player Matt Sharp of the Rentals). It also raised the bar for the Canadian sisters, who can no longer count on pleasing crowds with just acoustic guitars and earnest, Indigo Girl harmonies. At Berklee, accompanied by a three-piece band, Tegan (the hard-nosed musician) and Sara (the chatty rocker) mixed and matched sprightly paced, keyboard-peppered numbers like “Like O, Like H” and “Floorplan” with the softer, more singer-songwriterly “Soil, Soil” and “Call It Off.” And they complemented the song mix and the intensity of the performances with the banter, taking good-natured shots at each other, family members, Boston, and one overzealous fan. Indeed, given the ease with which they worked the crowd, you had to wonder why they couldn’t have spent a bit more time on stage, communing with fans who’d had far from their fill by the end of the night.

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