The evening began on a fateful note: Tim was sick, unable to attend the show he was so looking forward to. He had been suffering from something the Doctor could not quite identify and we all thought had cleared up. Guess not. Thankfully, one of our other writers here at Tweed was available to accompany me on my journey downtown to the Bowery.
We were a little late given D-train antics, arriving in the middle of The Honorary Title’s set. Truly an eclectic group, I wish I had caught the whole thing. The four individuals on stage were so assorted they looked as if they may have never met outside the context of being in a band! Along with their humbling on-stage repartee, it added merely to their charm. I made an observation: “a noteworthy act for sure.” Soon after, the ladies of the evening took the stage.
These girls don’t just wear their heart on their sleeves—they carve it out of felt and hang it from the back of the stage. Amassed with their lyrics, their on-stage performance truly is quite awe-inspiring. Dare I say it’s a twin-thing, Tegan and Sara hit every note, played every chord, took every breath right on beat—one of the tightest live musical acts I have seen in quite some time. The connectivity the two appeared to share on-stage was, for lack of a better word, awesome and may very well cause a bit of envy on behalf of anyone who has ever tried to play in a band.
Call me a sap, but the highlight of my evening was “Where Does the Good Go.” While Tegan strummed the opening riff along with bass player Chris Carlson, Sara recounted a humorous anecdote about her grandfather. This is not your usual rock star banter but something more quaint and casual, offering a bit of a window into the lives of an intriguing duo, opening a door to the fans that truly makes the music more lucid, more real.
By the end of the night, I wish I could have said I was a veteran fan of the band, that I sang, or at least hummed along to the old songs, rocked out with the girl next to me even though I didn’t know her name. But I can’t. Unfortunately, So Jealous was the first album I had heard from Tegan and Sara (call it an ignorant- American thing). Nonetheless, the dedication and effort the fans put into the show was such a breath of fresh air when compared to the typical, shoe-gazing apathy one usually finds in the Lower East Side. Tegan and Sara fans know the words and aren’t afraid to sing along, to yell out something to the band, to dance and to have a good time. This says a lot about Tegan and Sara, their ability to motivate, to connect and to give the fans a chance to be a part of the music. That in itself is a notable feat—it is noble, enviable and just a great quality to find in a band, a great band indeed.
Keep it posted to Tweed for our up-coming interview with the band, Tegan and Sara.
For more information on Tegan and Sara, check out their site: www.teganandsara.com
