It’s a Thursday night at the Riviera Theatre. I’ve never been in a room so plum full of estrogen before in my entire life—all-girl freshman college dormitory included. It’s pretty intense. Somewhere between 8 and 8:30 pm the twin folk stars take the stage. The crowd roars with approval. I’m not exaggerating; the ladies scream their lungs out harder than a crowd of 16 year olds at a New Kids on the Block show in 1989. In fact, before the opening number is even started, a black pair of bloomers fly into Tegan’s face.

“Whoa look at that, underwear’s being thrown up here before we even play our first song. I wear a size 27 jean, if you want to throw something up I can actually use.” :: Tegan grossed out, drops the panties that crossed the path of her mic.

“You Wouldn’t Like Me” :: I am officially excited. Song one of three that must be played for the night crossed off the list already, the sound quality is AMAZING and the girls are banging it hard.

“We’ve got people up front with guts up here, (points at upper chest), where they should be down here (points at stomach). Can we just back up a little bit?” :: Sara, looking pretty astonished to rambunctious super fans pushing through the front barricades after first song, Sara lectures the crowd on safety.

“I Bet it Stung”

“Burn Your Life Down” :: Time to exit the photo pit, bummer. Those nine minutes seemed to flash by instantaneously. Oh well, now I can quit clicking my cheap Kodak and appreciate how incredibly sharp and fantastic this show is sounding with my ears.

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“Walking With a Ghost”

Meanwhile, the girls in the crowd are still going crazy. Warm red, orange and gold lighting bounces off the Japanese paper lantern arch dome backing up the Quinn sisters and their band. Lavenders, royal blues and silver lights fog from the stage, illuminating the girls into the rock goddesses they are.

“Hop a Plane”

“Superstar”

“Living Room” :: Oh my god. Song 2 of 3, played. And ohhhh so well! Makes me want to go home and stare out the living room window at the metal dude neighbors for a bit . . . but not quite, so I dance my ass off instead.

Tegan tells a story about living in 13 apartments in 8 years. She lived in a hot apartment with restrictions against open windows. She also had some potatoes reek up the apt due to the heat. She had to evacuate for two days and then writes a song after the stinky potato incident—said song has nothing to do with potatoes, but she had a creepy landlord. Lesson learned? “Don’t leave potatoes in the heat too long, they smell sooo bad.” ::Tegan then plays song I don’t recognize, but I believe to be from debut album The Business of Art, but not sure. . .

“So Jealous” :: Ok, Jodi is officially a happy camper, this was song 3 of her list and all is well.
“Normally it’s the guy who has his arms around the girlfriend at shows, but here your girlfriend has got her arms around you. That’s sexy. ” Sara, singling out the guy in the blue shirt up front who didn’t respond when asked how crowd was doing. The guy got embarrassed and responded the next time Sara asked how he was enjoying the show. :: “I see all of you. You cannot hide, I will have seen all of you at least 3 or 4 times by the end of the show.”

Sara’s Post “So Jealous” Banter continues :: “It’s not really a fashion mullet—when we grew up mullets were typically short on top, party in the back. Mine is more of a party on the side—the left side, the side you should vote for, and a more sensible side on the right—where I don’t need to shower, it’s already done for me.” :: Sara on her hair-do after seeing the “We Love Fashion Mullets” sign in the crowd.

“Tegan got her period today. She is sooo cranky. . .” (This eventually turned into a comparison of periods and taking acid—but being “good for creativity”—I think.) :: Sara covering up for Tegan’s lack of stage banter.

“Like O, Like H”

(Not sure of this next song . . . older?)

“Umbrella” –Rihanna cover :: OMG!!! WHO KNEW THIS COULD BE AN ENJOYABLE SONG??

(Not sure of title, another oldie—maybe “Love Type Thing”? She repeated that in a chorus anyway . . .

“That is the only love song I actually ever wrote—it’s the only one about love, and not being in a breakup—but here’s another one of THOSE ones.” Sara, VH1 Storytelling transitioning it into the next track.

“Floorplan”

“Nineteen”

“Where Did the Good Go?”

“Speak Slow”

Tegan wrote the next song for The Con but it didn’t make the cut, that’s ok, she’s glad she got to work on it some more. It’s now on their new EP, “I Take All the Blame”—at least that’s what Tegan thinks their new EP is titled. You can buy it at their merch stand.

“(New Track, not sure of title)” :: Said song above kinda rocked, fast and pretty catchy, too bad the merch stand will be a mobfest post-set or I’d pick it up. . .

Sara tells the story of Letterman last week, where the duo performed “Call if Off.” The entire time of the performance, she kept thinking back to their first performance on Letterman eight years ago, when the duo didn’t have a back-up band, but graciously took up Paul Schaeffer’s offer to back them up with the Late Show band—Sara threw out a YouTube assignment—which reminds me. . .

“Call if Off” :: Big time crowd sing-along

Tegan thanks the crowd on spending the bucks to see their show during the economy’s latest crisis. She hopes we vote for Barack Obama, that’s the right choice—but if we make the wrong choice, she still likes us anyway, but please, don’t make the wrong choice.

“The Con” :: Crowd sing-along continues, big time.

ENCORE :: Not sure of the song, but Tegan explains it’s an older number, and she brings out the gentleman of City and the Colour to collaborate on a rendition of the T&S track. It’s pretty and they sway with their guitars to the spite of Sara, who wishes Tegan would collaborate with her sometime.
Sara joins her sister and discusses the story behind the last track, Tegan did not in fact write it after she got out of jail, but rather instead, high school. Tegan’s not in such a talky mood as Sara so they pause the banter and dedicate the next number to Death Cab’s Chris Walla to keep the show movin’.

“Relief Next to Me” :: Much more stripped down, simplistic with minimal keys and plucking of guitars; crowd fills in for back-up vocals on Tegan’s behalf as Sara croons us all into oblivious joy and contentment.

Tegan :: “Wow, there’s a lotta pot smoking out here. Are you all trippin’?”

“Fix You Up”

Sara introduces the band with miscellaneous R. Kelly references, “Real Talk.” She promises the next time they come back to Chicago they will have a new cd to promote—this gets the crowd hollering.

“Back In Your Head”

Jodi walks the mile home from Uptown to Lincoln Square and goes to sleep a very happy little girl. Tegan and Sara rock.

Previously: Photos: Tegan & Sara – Barrymore Theatre, Madison

Myspace: Tegan & Sara
MP3: Tegan and Sara – Walking With A Ghost
MP3: Tegan and Sara – I Know I Know I Know
MP3: Tegan and Sara – I Bet It Stung

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