Tegan and Sara: A Stand-Up Music Routine

This review is long overdue. It has been two long weeks since I saw Tegan and Sara at the Malibu Performing Arts Center. The Malibu Perf. is surprisingly cheesy, but the beauty of the place is that it is really quite small. I was in the first row, a little off to the side, and I didn’t miss my glasses much—a refreshing change from seeing Bob Dylan. There was no opening act, so Tegan and Sara just walked modestly onto the stage. Right from the start, T&S delivered a solid musical performance that was exactly what I expected. I was not disappointed with T&S’s performance of their music, and, had I walked away from the concert with this only, I would have been quite delighted. However, the really exceptional aspect of the evening was Tegan and Sara—not their music but their personalities. I loved Tegan and Sara almost immediately. Tegan and Sara could not have more strikingly different personalities, and they foil off each other quite effectively. Tegan is outgoing, aggressive, and confident, while Sara is coyly shy with a palpable insecurity that is endearing. Between songs, T&S gave the audience a chance to get to know them.Tegan seemed to thrive off interaction with the audience. One guy kept telling her, “You’re sexy Tegan” and “I love the jumpsuit.” To which she responded by strutting in her jumpsuit and explaining the three stages of being catcalled. Meanwhile, Sara would venture to tell stories in a blundering fashion that’s quite charming. At one point, Sara said, “I love children…but not in a weird way…” When introducing her song “I Was Married,” she explained how it was a very tender and intimate song about someone who was very special. She followed this up immediately with, “but I wasn’t drunk.” When she blundered into these faux pas her awkward embarrassment made her seem personable and approachable.When I left the woman sitting beside me said to me, “Well! That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a stand-up comedy concert.”