Tegan and Sara landed at the Variety Playhouse on Oct 30th to promote their first memoir High School and their ninth studio album Hey, I’m Just Like You. T&S are highly respected in the LGBTQ community and make their performances a safe and enjoyable space for all people by having gender neutral bathrooms for all, a strict start time and closing the venue bar when their performance began. They also made a quick speech about everyone putting their phones away and pretending it was 1990 again before technology and and the negative effects of social media. The speech was peppered with jokes so it was hard to tell if they were kidding when they asked for people not to be a part of the show or they would be asked to leave. Turns out they weren’t joking after one person didn’t heed that rule and was escorted out.
T&S took turns reading from their new book which was about their formative teenage years. Tegan touched on their love for LSD while Sara spoke about her insecurities about her body and sexuality (FYI being a teenage girl in the 90s was no picnic. I personally spent hours looking in a mirror trying to change everything about me.). It was somewhat comforting to realize that being a teenager in the 90’s was the same wherever you lived and you will always fight with your sibling(s) no matter how much you love them.
Between paragraphs, they would perform a selection of their high school songs accompanied by home movies. The crowd held onto their every word. You could almost feel the tension leave the room as people sat back and relaxed. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a show without my phone and my camera and it was totally worth it. Go and pick up a copy of their book when you can. It’s a great read!
Setlist:
Hey, I’m Just Like You
Don’t Believe the Things They Tell You (They Lie)
Keep Them Close ’Cause They Will Fuck You Too
I’ll Be Back Someday
Boyfriend
Divided
I Was a Fool
Call It Off
Closer
Back in Your Head
White Knuckles
Please Help Me
I Don’t Owe You Anything
Where Does the Good Go
