Concert: Tegan And Sara
July 9th, 2003; Aladdin Theater, Portland, Or.
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

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I know there have been fights between my younger sister and I that would garner some significant viewing interest. Perhaps someone out there other than our mother - who never found the "cat and dog" clashes all that entertaining - might actually lay down real money to get in and watch it unfold. Play a homespun brand of folk rock along with it and write some of the smartest manic depressive tunes out there and we might gather a cult following.

Watching Tegan and Sara on stage brings you close to the feeling of being at a heated dinner table conversation without the indigestion. Normally, a two hour concert interrupted every twenty minutes for long winded banter would be tiresome; not with these twin Canadians though, not when it is filled with so much real tangible tension. When Tegan and Sara talk to the crowd - and they do so a lot - they evoke images of gut churning Thai food, cheap hotel incidents inspiring stage fright and avenging childhood snubs. It isn't self-aggrandizing chatter; it is the type of alternately deep and idle talk two good friends might have to catch up at the end of a long week. In a nutshell, they're a self-diagnosing pair with a sense of humor about their many foibles.

When actually playing their instruments, Tegan and Sara - twin sisters, born under the Virgo sign - do so quite well. They simmer with a lonesome, alienated folk rock and sex charged punk sneer that is truly second to none. Whether pining about long gone days on "When You Were Mine" or their up and down mood swings on "Monday, Monday, Monday," these girls convey more genuine pulse racing charm than the Justified tour's entire caravan of dancers. Just the mere idea of them peeking through an ex-lover's window for a fleeting moment's satisfaction, the sentiment prominent on "Living Room," is as draining as 100 wind sprints. Songs from the duo's breakthrough album If It Was You were often received with staggering screeches and proclamations of undying love from the Wednesday night crowd. Even when a chord was missed or a vocal twisted, the modest but loud audience roared with appreciation.

There was a sense throughout that these girls could do no wrong.

The audio quality varied wildly. Often, the band's guitar charged rock efforts were muddied behind bigger than necessary drum and bass sounds. When they turned more toward ballads and simple acoustic instrumentation, the set shone in a really big way. A simple stage dressing and magnetic performance allowed the line between audience and participant dull down to an almost open mike communion. Once done with their set, they met the crowd in the lobby to peddle their wares and pose for a few pictures. It wasn't egregious pandering. Quite the contrary in fact, as their humble smiles and handshakes further installed the impression of an act with more familial bonding - however edgy - than rock star ego.

© 2003 - Erick Mertz