Illuminated by stars and nestled in the Hollywood Hills lies the Greek Theatre, packed tonight with shades of blue and yellow. The venue is welcoming Faye Webster in performance of her latest record, Underdressed at the Symphony, which was released in March. In anticipation for her set, the stage is lined with racks of blue clothing and rows of washing machines, which have become this album’s iconography throughout her tour. The audience is filled with eager fans in similar shades of blue and a surprisingly large number of teenagers in minion costumes.
Pokémon, yoyo, the color blue—I feel as though I can list an endless, eclectic assortment of things I, along with many fans, attribute to Faye Webster’s brand. From yoyoing and covering Animal Crossing songs on past tours to starting each show this year with a video of minions singing her opening song, Webster humorously and admirably incorporates her interests into her work at every corner. This doesn’t stop at hobbies; Webster surrounds her project with the people she loves, enlisting her best friend, Noor Khan, as her bassist, and her brother, Luke Webster, as the designer for her album artwork. Faye Webster as an artist is so inextricably tied to Faye Webster as a person, her relationships, her values, and her passions. To me, Underdressed at the Symphony feels like a celebration of the entire Webster brand that we know and love. The album cover itself is self-referential, as it depicts Webster examining racks of blue clothes, her signature color after years of wearing all-blue outfits at every show. (Tonight, she sports a navy plaid set from Brain Dead, the designer of which is yet another close friend of hers.) The new album is witty, humorous, raw, romantic, and refreshingly unique. New songs “But Not Kiss” and “Wanna Quit All the Time” echo tracks “Cheers” and “Better Distractions” from her past records, while other songs like “Feeling Good Today” sound entirely different as she experiments heavily with autotune.
As Faye Webster opens the show with “But Not Kiss,” the first single off the new record, I am spellbound by her musical genius. It took me far too many listens to realize that on this track, most of the lyrics are just her repeating “yeah, yeah” a dozen times, or that in “Wanna Quit All the Time,” there is a half a minute long break of complete silence before the band returns for an instrumental outro to the song. I was surprised by this realization because, to me, they flow perfectly. Webster herself has admitted she never formally studied music theory, and is notorious for genre-bending and rarely including a real chorus in many of her songs, but somehow, they all just sound right. Her creative process, like her personal demeanor, is incredibly relaxed, but that carefree attitude translates into an authenticity that is appealing to many. She is known to arrive at the recording studio with half-finished songs that become masterpieces over the course of just a few days, thanks to not only her own musical aptitude, but her talented, close-knit band who seem to know her mind as well as she knows her own.
“I want to sleep in your arms but not kiss / I long for your touch but don’t miss / Don’t want to regret any of this”
“But Not Kiss”
Later on, Webster plays “Lifetime,” a slow tune with plenty of lyrical repetition in her typical fashion of bending music rules. To my and the crowd’s surprise, Faye Webster mid-song welcomes singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar to the stage for a duet. I get goosebumps listening to his smooth, high voice blend harmoniously with Webster’s as she smiles at him with pride. After the song, Caesar casually disappears backstage after a hug from Webster and fervent applause from the crowd.
Another highlight of the setlist is “After the First Kiss,” an unreleased love song about Faye Webster’s girlfriend, fellow musician Deb Never. This is Webster’s first song written explicitly about a queer relationship, though much of her past discography feels universally relatable, demonstrated by the overwhelming presence of both straight and lesbian couples in the audience. But to me, and I’m sure much of her younger fanbase, this kind of representation will always be meaningful. The song details Webster’s intense longing and admiration for her current partner after just their first kiss. Its lyrics are romantic and intimate, feelings that are further enhanced by a swooning symphony of strings supporting Webster’s smooth, flirtatious vocals. The song feels like falling in love for the first time, and I can confidently say (having only heard it a couple of times) that it is one of her greatest. This moment in the show is serene, as no fan knows the unreleased track well enough to sing along, so we all take a moment to sway quietly under the stars and bask in Webster’s raw talent and charm.
For her “last” song, Webster plays “He Loves Me Yeah!”, a triumphant track off the new record about her then boyfriend. Notably, however, she changes the pronouns from “he” to “she,” singing instead about the care shown to her by her girlfriend, which elicits surprised cheers from the audience.
After conceding to the audience’s eager pleas for an encore, Faye Webster finally closes the show with fan favorite “Kingston” off 2019’s Atlanta Millionaires Club. Webster’s live shows never disappoint, from the perspective of both a long-time fan and frequent concert-goer. Her impassioned live performances manage to further elevate her iconic original recordings, especially when rocking out in “Cheers” or delivering a raw, heartfelt poem in “Jonny (Reprise).” Faye Webster closes the show leaving me wanting more, but elated and grateful as always to experience her musical genius in person.
“This is a love song, isn’t it? / Yes, well, I guess this is how it ends / A strange poem about a plain and ready white wall / One with many questions / And a dog as speechless as that same wall / And the sorrows of love’s slow passing / Goodbye, Jonny”
“Jonny (Reprise)”
