Underdressed at the MTELUS Symphony

Last Saturday night, Faye Webster ignited Montreal at the jam-packed venue that is Mtelus. The crowd was filled with 20-something indie kids dressed to impress in Pinterest-worthy outfits, ready for Webster’s return to Montreal.  Attending the show with my 16-year-old sister, we were especially excited as March 1st marked the one year anniversary of Underdressed at The Symphony. Many fans knew this and the signage represented that. Other fans were dressed similarly to Webster in the album’s cover with blue form-fitting tuxedos. Prior to the show, members of the crowd filled the bustling street of Saint-Catherine chanting her songs and oozing excitement. 

I had the great opportunity to see Faye Webster in 2022 for her tour for I Know I’m Funny Haha. However,  this show demonstrated Webster’s commitment to her album concept with the illustrations for each song. The album’s concept uses clothing and lack thereof as imagery to describe the vulnerability of making music. Being underdressed at the symphony can be interpreted as Webster revealing too much emotionally in her artistry. To emphasize this theme during the performance, the stage was set up with washing machine visuals and blue-coloured laundry as seen on the album and singles cover. Every song had its own set of lights & corresponding visuals. Faye Webster and her band were introduced by a minion emulating Webster and a group of minions singing along to “But Not Kiss” replacing the words with the word spaghetti. This greatly amused and sounds of laughter echoed through the Montreal venue. She began the concert with her single “But Not Kiss” blending the instrumental with coruscating flashing lights. Her single “Lego Ring” was introduced with the same video game intro used in the music video. Webster added things to the show that true listeners like myself would notice and enjoy.

 However, in my opinion, an artist’s band can make or break a live performance. Webster's band electrified the night. The group offered various instrument solos such as a drum solo, violin solo & bass solo. The crowd was enamoured by the group that the cheers for the band’s musicians were almost equal to those for Webster.