Posted on September 25, 2010 by Amanda Ash

Tegan and Sara are like twin human Bellagio fountains. They put on a comedic, synchronous ballet of song and banter that charms the pants off everyone from a seven-year-old Miley Cyrus fan to a 55-year-old jazz aficionado.

That was the scene at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl on Friday night, where the sibling pop-rock duo entertained a cold, damp crowd with their honest tunes and straight-faced repartee.

“We just want to say we’re so sorry. So sorry,” said Sara, referring to the spitting rain and muddy Malkin Bowl.

“Even Tegan and Sara can’t keep away the rain,” added Tegan, before kicking off their set with an acoustic Call It Off from 2007’s The Con.

Tegan and Sara have straddled the line between indie stardom and mainstream recognition admirably, managing to maintain the respect of surly hipsters while charging forth onto radio airwaves.

Tegan and Sara, the band, formed in the basement of the sisters’ former Calgary home. That was more than ten years ago. They broke through their local scene at a battle-of-the-bands competition, played Lilith Fair in 1999, and were signed to Neil Young’s Vapor Records by 2000.

To date, they’ve released six full-length albums, including their latest Polaris Prize-nominated release Sainthood, and toured with name bands such as the Killers and Death Cab for Cutie.

When you see the petite performers in person, you realize their accolades are well deserved.

The Quin twins, who recently turned 30 and live in separate cities (Tegan resides in Vancouver and Sara in Montreal), are known for their lively stage interactions. It’s entertaining to hear them push each other’s buttons.

“All I did was lob two balls in your court,” Tegan quipped, after Sara gave her heck for strumming a couple notes on her guitar.

“Stop dinking around,” Sara shot back, lovingly. “You’re irritating.”

“I’ll push you onto the wet part of the stage,” Tegan mumbled before they jumped into an acoustic version of I Feel It In My Bones, a track they recorded with Tiesto.

Joking aside, Tegan and Sara are genuine and frank in their writing. Their songs are theirs from the flesh, never glossed up or tampered with in post-production.

Tegan and Sara are indie at heart.

Tunes such as Sainthood’s The Ocean and The Con’s Like O, Like H delved into personal heartbreak, unrequited love and obsession, just a warm-up for what was yet to come.

When the first few telltale chords of The Con and Walking with a Ghost were struck, the fans went ballistic; they sang along with every word.

By the time the duo played Nineteen, everyone appeared to be reliving their most intense lovestruck teenage moments.

Tegan and Sara played most of their older material first, focusing the latter part of the show on Sainthood, which is possibly their tightest and most mature work to date.

Hell, a super-catchy rock number about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, got the crowd bouncing with their hands in their pockets.

For Northshore, Sara asked for the lights to be turned down “so the shy people wearing hoodies” — interpret that as you will —wouldn’t feel self-conscious about jumping around, too.

As might be expected, every song introduction spiralled into a five-minute digression. Before cueing up love song Alligator, Sara went on a tangent about touring with Paramore this summer, relating how her Ghost-inspired Demi Moore haircut got her mistaken for Justin Bieber.

It’s a wonder the twins even finished their set.

But their hilarious personal confessions and raw, lyrical stories seemed to be the reason Tegan and Sara have drawn such a diverse following. They’re not afraid to open up, even if it means admitting they still “get talking like a teen,” as heard with On Directing.

Tegan and Sara connect with fans on a true and tender level, throwing in a million friendly laughs in between. There are no secrets here.

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