Wyrd Sisters

For the closing ceremony of World Pride, there was a notable line-up of musicians playing at Yonge-Dundas. The square itself was packed with thousands of people, overflowing into the adjacent streets. I had arrived after a sudden downpour just in time to see a rainbow shone over the concrete buildings, to the delight of everyone. Singers from a local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch finished up a medley from their show and a couple of grinder girls gyrated in the overhead catwalk. But everyone was there for head-liner Tegan and Sara.

After 15 years in the business, these twin sisters have a devoted following among women and queers. But their pop crossover album Heartthrob released last year brought them a lot of new mainstream fans and success. It was a surprise who the "new" fans were at the show. One older gentleman, who looked more the type to tell the kids to get off his lawn, was singing lustily to new songs such as Closer and Shock To Your System. Due to a short set, they stuck mainly to the current tunes with only a 3-song "retrospective" (Back In Your Head, The Con, and Monday, Monday, Monday) for the long-time indie fans. Without a fuller concert to anchor the slicker tunes with their quieter, more emotional (and older) repertoire, it had a "top 40" concert feel, perhaps befitting the lights and billboards.

The sisters connected to their fans in their typical, off-the-cuff banter. Sara threatened to quit music and open a fast-food joint in the Urban Eatery located in the shopping mall across the street if people forget the lyrics to their older tunes. Tegan descended to the metal barriers several times and remarked with a laugh: "I love being gay. I hope it doesn't wear off." Both highlighted the strides but also the obstacles that still confront the queer community. Sara was so touched by the reception she said she would love "to have sex with everyone ... consensual and with protection of course." Though any eager groupies may have had to hold off when she finished her thought with a "just kidding ... I'm frigid." But the memory of the twins engaging in a series of adorkable dance moves while waiting for a "PA reset" may make a good substitute.