Queen of Meme

After my sing-along at Moon Merge by the Bentway, I jumped into a taxi to make my way to the Sony Centre for Carly Rae Jepsen. Despite several critically (but moderately commercial) successful albums, this nostalgia pop singer has never had a head-line tour in her native Canada. So myself and 3,000 other people were expecting a high-power show, which a short acoustic Christmas set nor a mostly subdued orchestral one-off could satisfy.

Jepsen and her band delivered with hit after hit from the most recent disco-esque Dedicated album as well as 80s pop Emotions (side A and B). The crowd, mostly fans with a sprinkling of reluctant parent or boyfriend, sang and danced along to every song. I don't usually go to big concerts so it was interesting to watch. This was closer to a theatrical show since everything was tightly scripted, not just the dancing, and the costume change, but also the banter and song intros. Also,  Jepsen is steeped in all phases of love and romance: all her songs are about that feeling. Yet as I watched I realized that despite a quiet verse or bridge here and there, she has no ballad. So for the couples of all variations tonight, there were not many moments for "slow dancing".