reCAP :: Tegan and Sara :: 2013.12.14
For over a decade and a span of six albums, Canadian darlings Tegan and Sara Quin built a loyal fan base with true indie spirit, infectious music matched with brutally honest lyrics, and their respective lovably-biting personalities. This year, however, the wonder twins went in a totally different direction, putting out Heartthrob, an unapologetic pop record, whose first single — the 80s-centric “Closer” — propelled them into the mainstream. Since the release of that song, the Sisters Quin have toured rigorously (they, among other things, opened for Fun), performed on Ellen, and even shared the stage with Taylor Swift. But, no sellout here.
Yes, their sound is more upbeat and a bit more terrestrial-radio friendly, but at its core nothing changed. The songs remain the same — touching on themes of sadness and heartbreak as only the wonder twins can activate. Because of that, their fan-base has not just grown in general; they've grown more loyal. The latter statement was evidenced on Saturday night when Tegan and Sara took The Capitol Theatre stage for the very first time, delivering a wonderful hour-and-a-half-set that made you forget about the frightful weather outside.
Fans packed the Metro North train en route to Port Chester, or braved the snowy roads to catch the show, and their was much appreciation for that throughout the night. Following a warm, powerful set from singer/songwriter and spoken-word artist Mary Lambert, Tegan and Sara took the stage and made sure it was worth the soggy trip. Almost immediately, Tegan addressed the pink snowy elephant in the room, thanking the fans for coming out in bad weather and stressing what a drag it was that it had caused some to stay home.
As they always do, the duo performed each song as if they were studio produced, and interspersed the songs with borderline stand-up comedy banter. The setlist was filled mostly with songs from Heartthrob with many pre-floodgate songs disbursed in from breakthrough hit "Walking with the Ghost" off So Jealous to "Nineteen" off their flawless The Con record. Old school fans like me were probably a little disappointed that they didn't play more of the "old stuff," but that's always going to be an argument among diehards for any band performing live. I get it. We all get it. It's hard to effectively promote the new stuff while kicking it old school for old-time fans. But, Tegan and Sara certainly struck a nice balance and delighted fans — old and new.