It was a balmy 70 degrees on Friday evening as Tegan and Sara Quin took the stage at Summerfest for the final show in the first leg of their extended “Crybaby 2023” tour. 

The crowd gathered slowly but steadily at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage, with die-hard fans swiftly claiming the first few rows of bleacher seats followed by a mixed audience of primarily Millenials with a smattering of representation from Gen-X and Z.

A mini light show in the background set the stage for the duo’s appearance on an otherwise minimalistic stage as they started off their 21-song set with “You Wouldn't Like Me,” a catchy 2004 T&S classic that begins largely acoustic before kicking in with the lines "There's nothing to live for when I'm sleeping alone" and "I feel like I wouldn't like me if I met me."

Both exhibited their hallmark 90s-inspired, casually androgynous style: Sara in a white sweatshirt and pants, a grey oversized zip-up vest and a baseball cap; and Tegan in slightly edgy leopard-print pants and a white oversized Western shirt with a black fringe.

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"We had a lovely day in your beautiful city!" Tegan noted as they wrapped up the song. "And we were afraid no one would come. So thanks for being here."

(Oh Tegan. Of course we came. People love you. And they've loved you for a very long time).

And with that, the duo continued, pulling straight into an energetic performance of the new electro-poppy "I Can't Grow Up" off of "CryBaby."

From there, the 80-minute set served not only as a satisfying live introduction to the “Crybaby” album but also a soul-filling retrospective, which traces the evolution of the Quins from their strummy folk beginnings through stages of wiry indie-rock, emo, punk and synth-pop.

In fact the evening was filled to the brim with a mix of dancey Tegan & Sara classics like “Walking With a Ghost” and  “Where Does the Good Go?” combined with highlights from “Crybaby” including a soulful performance of “Yellow” and a jumpy, synthy and all-too-fun “Fucking Up What Matters.”

It's about the journey

Even more, the songs chosen for the evening seemed to be ones that captured a great deal, including moments in both the personal and professional journies of the two queer siblings who established their individual identities even as they made music together.

Far from an overnight sensation, the duo was often spurred on by anger, angst and frustration as they rallied against Indie stereotypes and ridicule in the press for their gender, sexuality and even their haircuts. But these things just made them more relatable to fans who stuck by the two outspoken women who continued to buck mainstream narratives and occupy an angst-filled space typically reserved for heteronormative males. 

Ten studio albums later, the Quins are in their early 40s. Both are married. Sara has a son with her partner, and Tegan has since adopted a German Shepard/border collie mix named Georgia. Yet, even as things have changed, the twins continue to push the envelope even as they continue their work towards gender parity in recorded music and advocating for LGBTQ equality and positive representation through initiatives like the Tegan & Sara Foundation. 

Signature stage banter

If there’s one thing that distinguishes a Tegan & Sara show from countless others it’s the level of stage banter in which they engage. Sometimes cheerful and often heartfelt, the exchanges manage to elevate a simple pop concert into an intimate get-to-know-you session. Such was the case at Summerfest where the two offered up witty, charming and heartfelt anecdotes, often engaging in a semi-conversation with the engaged audience.

Sara shared the inspiration behind “Under My Control,” a song on the pandemic-driven “Crybaby,” an album that explores maturity, passion and self-doubt that surrounds moving forward in both life and relationships. This song, she says, is a love song about folks who’ve been together for a long time and the decisions they need to make.

“Part of writing this album was contemplating whether I could actually be a good parent,” she shared. “Am I ready? Can I get my shit together?”

It's a contemplation that led nicely into a bouncy-but-earnest rendition of "Smoking Weed Alone," a song that saw many-a-fan taking a cue from the band in a manner that almost seemed to pay homage.

Her treasured role as a “Mom-Dad” was a topic she reiterated later in the show, as she lightheartedly proclaimed to the audience that “Tomorrow is a very special day.” 

“It’s not my birthday or anything like that” she noted. “...it’s exactly one year to the day that my son was born.”  She paused. “I never thought I’d be celebrating the eve of his birth Inhaling your secondhand weed smoke. But thank you. It’s truly an honor.”

Memorable moments

Those were just a few of many memorable moments in the show, including an unexpected flashback to a song that casual fans likely had never heard before.

“We haven’t played this one for over 20 years,” Tegan told the crowd, calling out the fans who’ve stuck with them over the past two decades. “This one’s for you,” she said as they slid into a soul-wrenching acoustic performance of “My Number,” a song from their second studio album “This Business of Art” (2000).

Just as poignant was a memory shared by Tegan, who noted that, after the show, the band would be heading to Chicago. As a few whoops from Chicagoans rose up from the crowd, she clarified.

“Calm down. We’re not doing anything cool there. All we're doing is sleeping... Sara is choosing to sleep in the bus in a parking lot; and I’m choosing to get off the bus at 2 a.m. to sleep in a hotel. But Sara, right before we came on stage, asked if she could come sleep in my hotel room.”

“Like I don't actually really want her to… but I kinda want her to, cuz it would make for a funny video on TikTok..." 

[Sara interjects: "I'm not going to."]

"I bring this up only because since we were little kids there’s really only one time I felt sad enough to climb into bed with Sara. And it was when my first serious girlfriend went away to college and I was inconsolable. If only I'd known how many times I'd fall in love... Sorry, that's some dark sh*t, I apologize.”

“This is a song about falling in love and doing bad things,” she added, apologizing to the ‘kids’ as she and Sara dove headlong into “Dark Come Soon,” a song that explores the dark side of love and heartbreak.

The power of truth

The artists at a show only have so much control over the concert experience. And last night’s show offered up a crystal clear example.

We’ve all experienced at least one concert where the hecklers in the back row manage to singlehandedly destroy the mood. Now, I don’t know who those people are. But I can tell you with certainty that they weren’t at the Tegan & Sara show.

In fact, I’d love to hold out hope that fans at every future concert I attend will be as pleasant, loyal, engaged and – most impressively – filled with joy as those who swayed, smiled and sang along as Tegan and Sara swept through a musical recollection of work that spanned over two decades.  

These are folks who hold a unique appreciation for the razor-sharp intimacy and relatability that Tegan and Sara deliver so effortlessly through their very specific brand of relentlessly catchy pop. Even more, they’re emotional beings whose empathy drives them to value shared experiences.

It’s that audience who belted out a collective cheer as Sara delivered one of the most heartbreaking lines in the song “Boyfriend”:  “I don’t wanna be your secret anymore.”

And that cheer was composed of the pure joy that’s born of a refusal to settle for anything less than the truth.

Setlist

You Wouldn't Like Me (So Jealous)
I Can’t Grow Up (Crybaby)
Stop Desire (Love You To Death)
Back in Your Head (The Con)
Yellow (Crybaby)
The Con (The Con)
I Bet It Stung (So Jealous)
Smoking Weed Alone (Crybaby)
Nineteen (The Con)
Sometimes I See Stars (Crybaby)
Under My Control (Crybaby)
Feel It In My Bones (Tiesto cover)
Boyfriend (Love You To Death)
Dark Come Soon (The Con)
My Number (This Business of Art)
Call It Off (The Con)
Wake Up Exhausted (So Jealous)
Where Does the Good Go (So Jealous)
Fucking Up What Matters (Crybaby)
Walking With a Ghost (So Jealous)
Closer (Hearthrob)