Tegan and Sara at the Berklee Performance Center, November 21, 2007
By VICTORIA WELCH | December 9, 2007
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.
Related:
Off the record?, Tegan and Sara | Sainthood, A sister act, More
- Off the record?
Pity the album. After a half-century of embarrassingly public body issues, our essential rock unit has not entered the new millennium looking very healthy. EPs are way more in vogue, MP3s have intangibility on their side, and 12-inches just sound impressive.
- Tegan and Sara | Sainthood
Tegan and Sara have always been background music for staring wistfully out a coffeeshop window, in a strange city, alone, hung over and/or going on no sleep, wondering what the fuck went wrong.
- A sister act
High-fives all around: together we made Tegan and Sara rule.
- Photos: Tegan and Sara at the Ames Hotel
Photos from Tegan and Sara's special live acoustic set at the Ames Hotel.
- Photos: Tegan and Sara at the Orpheum
Photos of Tegan and Sara performing at the Orpheum
- Review: Tegan and Sara at the Orpheum
Considering that it was Valentine's Day eve and identical twins Tegan and Sara are currently the indie pop darlings of the gay world, one would expect to find a whole lot of grrrl power flowing at the Orpheum last Saturday night.
- Con artists: Tegan and Sara live in Boston
VIDEO: The duo hits First Act Guitar Studio
- Photos: Tegan and Sara + Mavis Staples + The Decemberists at Newport Folk Festival
Tegan and Sara, Mavis Staples, and The Decemberists perform at the Newport Folk Festival on July 30, 2011.
- Sister act
There’s nothing conventional about Tegan and Sara.
- Beats, rhymes, and Li(f)e
Cult-status indie wordsmith Sage Francis digs deep and blows the black mold off the diary on Li(f)e (Anti-), while enlisting an impressive roster of indie-rock songwriters.
- Start with some Spice
The game is on for the reunited Spice Girls.
- Less
Topics:
Live Reviews
, Death Cab for Cutie, Chris Walla, Tegan & Sara, More
, Death Cab for Cutie, Chris Walla, Tegan & Sara, Matt Sharp, Tegan and Sara, Less