Faye Webster graced fans at Roadrunner with her lovely presence and sweet sound Oct. 20. From the singer-songwriter’s unique vocals to the stunning stage setup and energy from the crowd, it was a show to remember.
Webster immediately enamored fans with her music, opening with the unique track “But Not Kiss.” The crowd began screaming at the top of their lungs the minute the singer stepped on the stage, one of the most enthusiastic and loving crowds I’ve ever witnessed.
For her first song, the stage set up was heavenly, with a single bright white spotlight on the singer giving her the look of an angel, while her fiery tour art contrasted in the background.
It was clear from the minute the performance began that the sound setup and band would add to the great experience fans were in for. Following her first song, Webster graciously thanked the crowd for being there, clearly in awe of the unwavering support from the audience.
The crowd screamed as she went into her second song, with the background changing to have birds flying across it and eventually shifting to bright yellow for the end of the song. Webster showed off her impressive guitar skills in a solo for this track, causing fans to cheer and scream even more.
I appreciated the simple yet intriguing stage setup as the entire show was an unchanging picture of Webster surrounded by flames, but the lighting and little details on the background image were attuned to every song.
As Webster went into her upbeat fourth song, “Right Side of My Neck,” the crowd went wild and sang every lyric along with her. The sparkly background for her popular track felt fitting as the audience swayed and danced to the beloved song.
After playing a handful of songs Webster paused to address the crowd more, including thanking backstage workers who made sure the stage setup worked smoothly and even had the crowd say thank you to them. The singer also thanked her opener, Upchuck, for being there with her tonight, saying they’re her favorite band. It was obvious how filled with joy Webster was to be touring and performing, making the experience that much sweeter for fans.
“A Dream With A Baseball Player” brought in interesting instrumentals with saxophone as she longingly sang about the melancholy feeling of being infatuated with someone you don’t know. The gloomy lyrics enveloped the crowd in Webster’s swoon-worthy performance and eclectic voice.
The songwriter kept up her trajectory, following up with fan-favorite “I know I’m funny, haha” as the background changed to bright red for the light-hearted track. Also the title of her 2021 album, fans could find merch with the song title on it including t-shirts, pullovers, totes, stickers and even yo-yos.
Near the end of the performance Webster played “Suite: Jonny” from her 2022 “Car Therapy Sessions,” an extended version of “Jonny” from her junior album “Atlanta Millionaires Club.” One of my personal favorites, hearing the sorrow-filled song live evoked many emotions for the crowd. The track about feeling lonely, wanting to find someone and wondering what the point of life is was encapsulated beautifully in Webster’s vocals.
The latter half of the cinematic, stripped version saw the singer on piano speaking the rest of the lyrics like a poem, adding a dynamic aspect to the show that had the crowd in a trance.
Before her outro songs, Webster paid homage to her love of Pokémon by playing a cover of the instrumental “Eterna City.” The stark switch up to the chill vibe of the show had the crowd clapping along to the beat.
Webster ended her set with her newest release, “Lifetime,” in which she showed off her impressive electric guitar skills, and “In A Good Way,” another one of her most popular tracks. The beloved song had couples dancing in the crowd as she sang the love ballad about being comfortable and happy in a relationship. For this closing track, she added a spontaneous guitar solo to the downtempo song before exiting the stage.
After a few minutes of the crowd impatiently waiting, Webster returned to the stage for a two-song encore. Webster told the crowd “This is a really dumb song I wrote” before going into the unreleased, “Feeling Good Today.” For the grand finale, the somber singer gifted the crowd with her number one song, “Kingston,” much to everyone’s delight. The romantic number had the crowd singing and dancing the entire time, flashlights in hand.
Every member of the crowd had a huge smile on their face as they departed the venue post-performance, myself included. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I can’t wait to see the songwriter again the next time she stops in Boston. Seeing Webster live in concert for one of her sold-out shows is not an experience I’ll be forgetting any time soon.
Webster is currently continuing her North American tour in New York City before moving on to the West Coast and Canada and will be touring in Europe spring 2024.
