By: Megan Dawson and Laura Duncan
There was still a line out the door for entry to see the one and only Faye Webster at Georgia Theatre the night of September 12th. The opener had just begun her set as we walked in and climbed to the balcony seating; the room was already almost a full house.
The opening act was Miya Folick, an indie folk rock artist from Los Angeles, whose sound was perfectly in tune to warm up the crowd for Webster.
Following the aesthetic of her latest studio album, Underdressed at the Symphony, the stage was set with the background of a laundromat. There were six washing machines outfitted with LEDs to give the appearance that they were spinning. Above the machines were racks of clothes in different shades of blue, Webster’s signature color. To bring the entire set together, at the back of the stage was an absolutely massive white T-shirt hanging on an equally large hanger.
After the 30-ish minute intermission, the crowd was buzzing as Webster’s entrance was teased with a projection of her as a minion singing “But Not Kiss” in minionese. As the venue faded to black, Webster and her band populated the stage and take over for the minion to perform the hit single from the top. Once the song ended, a crowd member yelled, “I love you, Faye Webster!” right before they began the intro of “Wanna Quit All the Time.” This was a powerful song to experience as an audience member, especially seeing fellow concert-goers’ energy and passion towards Webster and her performance.
A moment of the show we loved was the incorporation of a bubble machine that blew bubbles across the venue during “Thinking About You.” The addition was a wholesome visual to a wholesome song. And from the light gasps you could hear around the room, the crowd loved it as well.
Webster continued to play a good mixture of both older tracks and tracks off her new record, such as A “Dream With a Baseball Player” from her 2021 album, I Know I’m Funny, haha, followed by “Tttttime” off Underdressed at the Symphony. No matter which album the tracks were home to, the crowd knew just about every word.
There were a lot of visual components to her set, and not just with her collaboration with minions. At the show’s midpoint, the oversized t-shirt displayed “Faye Webster’s Singsongorama,” which resembled a video game start page. The page spun a few choices for the next song, teasing “Johnny” but ultimately landing on “Lego Ring.” One of Faye’s uniquely upbeat songs, “Lego Ring,” gave the unique opportunity for Faye’s drummer to perform an extended and very impressive drum solo.
Right after, the previously teased song, “Johnny”, was sprung into motion. There was a fantastic moment with the crowd in the first verse, where the house lights were brought up a bit as Webster signaled to the crowd to sing the rest of the lyrics. There was barely a beat missed as everyone began to sing the song to her as she fed off the indescribable energy in the room.
One more song flew by before Webster mentioned that her family, specifically her grandmother and parents, were in the VIP section of the Georgia Theatre. She asked her grandmother, “What do you think grandma?” in reference to her performance so far. She gave a double thumbs up in response, which we can’t help but agree with. Faye Webster gets two thumbs up from me and Laura, too.
At this point, Webster introduced the crowd to an unreleased song, which we guess to be named “After The First Kiss.” The song’s heartwarming lyrics and red/pink visuals described experiences like introducing her mother to “her” after their first kiss. We speculate this song represents her unconfirmed relationship with Deb Never. Seeing her so comfortable sharing such an intimate song with fans and family was heartwarming. Quickly after this song, fans audibly gasped when Faye sang a beautiful rendition of “(S)he Loves Me Yeah!” with changed she/her pronouns. It felt like Webster was sharing something intimate and raw with a room of close friends. You could really tell that the Athens venue held a special place in Webster’s heart, as she even admitted to Athens being like a second home to her earlier in the evening.
“In a Good Way” and “She Loves Me Yeah” ended the main set with a roaring request from the audience to play at least one more song. A minute or two later, Webster came back out on stage for an encore with her best friend and bassist, Noor Khan, who was now on the keys to play “Ebay Purchase History,” an underrated track in our opinion. The room erupted in barking (dawg woofing, if you will) to applaud their performance. Webster noted this, unsure why it was a crowd reaction but enjoying it all the same.
The full band filled out the stage for their official final song, “Kingston.” The people in the room were elated to hear one of Webster’s biggest hits live. The now infamous (to us) bubble machine started back up again at some point in the song, providing visuals and ambiance that we, personally, adored. At the point of the song where Webster sings, “He said ‘Baby,’” the house lights went back on as Webster signals to the crowd to finish the lyric. A collective and almost overwhelming, “That’s what he called me!” rang throughout the venue. A perfect moment to a perfect night.
Once everyone started to file out of the venue, a decent portion of the crown went to the merchandise station to get a physical commemoration item of the incredible evening they just had. From t-shirts with minions on them to plush characters from Faye’s Singsongarama to a paper doll-style sheet of magnets featuring Webster, some of her most iconic outfits and clothing items pictured on the back of Underdressed at the Symphony, there was something for everyone. We walked out of the Theatre and were welcomed by a misty sprinkle outside. I guess even mother nature was sad the night was coming to an end.
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