Most of us will never get to experience going out in front of thousands at the Saddledome, or playing another venue in some format in front of a rabid hometown crowd. Calgary born twins Tegan and Sara Quin made a point of commenting about it early on in their sold out show at the Jubilee Auditorium on January 9th.
“We had our High School grad here,” recalled Sara. “I think I saw
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat here in grade eleven.”
The between-song banter is part of the charm of the live Tegan and Sara experience. It seems a consistent trend for Canadian musicians playing major venues like the Jubilee (from Jann Arden to Dallas Green) to be extremely funny. The twins are no exception, however their humour tends to be more sarcastic. Such was the case when Tegan was having issues with her monitor.
“I just don't have you,” she said to her sister. “Twenty-nine years later and I feel lost.”
Sara was also quick to respond to “that guy.” You know the one who has to yell things out constantly. After correcting him when he yelled out Tegan's name, she responded to his yell of “you're cute” with their trademark bite. “I'm cute how? Like an elf? Like you want to marry me?” The two could have made a decent living as a snarky comedy duo.
Much emphasis is put on the fact that they are twin sisters and lesbians. This sort of hook works well in the entertainment industry for performers that have the chops to back it up, and certainly they do. Kicking off the night with
Arrow, Don't Rush and
The Ocean, the 26 song set was composed primarily of songs off of their new album
Sainthood. Interspersed throughout the evening were hits like
Walking With A Ghost and
Where Does The Good Go? Another highlight was
Paperback Head, the first song that the two wrote together in their careers.
Sara instructed the crowd on whether to stand or sit as there is often confusion.
“I'm the kind of person who happily goes to shows and sits down for most of it. I will tell you to sit down, but not during this song” she said before
Walking With A Ghost.
While the audience seemed primarily made up of women, (one friend quipped “I didn't know there were this many lesbians in Calgary!”) it had its fair share of gay men, straight guys, and older folks who may or may not have been friends and family. By the time the pair returned to the stage for the encore, beginning with acoustic versions of
Back In Your Head and
Feel It In My Bones they had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand. The Crescent Heights High School alumni have done Calgary proud, and Calgary showed its appreciation in spades.
