Tegan and Sara at the Wiltern

The Wiltern was a night of nostalgia and powerful female vocals this past Thursday night as twin sister duo Tegan and Sara lit up the theatre with their timeless songs. But before taking fans on a ride through one of the best Tegan and Sara shows ever, Shura (aka Aleksandra Denton) primed the evening with her delicious electro-pop. Keeping the energy high and thick with excitement, Shura was the perfect appetizer to the main dish that was Tegan and Sara.

As soon as the lights went off at the Wiltern, the crowd went nuts. Colored lights began spiraling and a mini dance party took full force to The Pointer Sisters’ 80’s hit, “I’m So Excited.” Indeed, we were all so exited. Longtime fans from the late 90s/early 2000s and newbie Tegan and Sara listeners came together to experience the vocal and lyrical greatness that is Tegan and Sara.

The mighty Quins took the stage to cries of joy and admiring howls. With this year’s new release, Love You To Death, the sisters had plenty of solid new material to share; but before they dipped into their new songs, Tegan and Sara ripped into our hearts with the nostalgic cut “Back In Your Head,” off their 2007 album The Con. The crowd was just getting started, dancing and singing along to the girls’ well-known anthem. They wasted no time hitting the feels right from the jump. Tegan and Sara went on through the night to play old tracks while sprinkling in their polished and super pop-friendly new songs such as “White Knuckles,” “Faint of Heart” and of course “Boyfriend;” along with their 2013 winner “Closer,” but what really grabbed our souls were the simple Tegan and Sara numbers that pulled at our adolescent heartstrings. Song like “Walking With a Ghost,” “Living Room” and “Nineteen” had every fans’ eyes glistening with joy and sweet memories from their own stories of youth heartbreak and coming of age.

For admirers of the Canadian dream team, let’s just say little to few felt out of place in the crowd of fans gathered at the beautiful Los Angeles Wiltern. Taking humor breaks to get personable with the crowd, these girls truly could be comedians. I mean, damn. We didn’t just get the expected raw and echoing vocals we love so much, we got quite the show. The Sisters Quin always serve up their blunt take on the four letter word we all believe to know so well. Of course we still get the playful sisterly bickering here and there as well. All in all, it was an encouraged sing-along to some of our heart’s favorites, new and old.

Words & Photography: Danielle Gornbein