last night's gig

Tegan and Sara Describe Physical Oddities, Creepy Thoughts About Children

You can tell Tegan by the droopy eyelid.Photo: Diana Sabreen


Tegan and Sara achieved the rarest of feats last night at Terminal 5: The identical Canadian twins insisted on chattering on about their geeky quirks, habits, and tics, and not only managed to not annoy those there for a rock show, but fully endear themselves to the crowd. Then again, judging by the sea of asymmetrical haircuts (mirroring those of the twins themselves), we’re pretty sure the audience was a sympathetic one. The booklet for the band’s latest album, The Con, features Edward Gorey–type ink drawings of the duo, and their banter proved just as darkly comic as any Gorey illustration. Tegan confessed that she liked taking pictures of her droopy eyelid to see what it looked like when she says certain words (the condition seems to be a source of entertainment for the whole family). Sara then divulged that the duo’s biggest hit, “Walking With a Ghost,” was originally meant to be a children’s song — or at least, it was inspired by the idea of “if you were a kid and had an imaginary friend and it was dead.” The young people in attendance did very much appreciate the songs, especially the louder ones (and among those, a techno version of “Are You Ten Years Ago”). Even with all their stories about physical oddities and loneliness, these two sisters somehow left the stage with 3,000 people desperately wanting to hang out with them. —Elizabeth Black

Tegan and Sara Describe Physical Oddities, Creepy Thoughts About Children