@colekincart

Faye Webster performed live at The Riviera Theater in Chicago on Feb 22 and I had the pleasure of being there.  As someone who’s been listening to Faye since her debut album, I was extremely eager to see her perform live.

Faye opened with “Better Distractions,” the intro track of her hit fourth album–I Know I’m Funny haha–which was released spring of 2021. Combining the elegance and faithful ways of country music and the wittiness of a millennial, this album, in certain ways, feels like country music made for the new generation of social media users.

That said, I Know I’m Funny haha became one of my favorite releases from 2021. In many ways, it held the same integrity as her 2017 release, Atlanta Millionaires Club, while furthering her lyrical prowess. The poetic lyrical mix of stoicism, wittiness and ultimately, sadness, is a weird amalgamation that has really stuck with me throughout last year.

Just take a look at the song “Both All The Time.” She says, “And I’m loneliest at night/After my shower beer/ And I’ll to to sleep without turning out the lights”

A highlight of the show was when, midway through, Faye told a story about growing a very tight bond with her Nintendo Switch. “There was a phase last year when I carried around my Switch like an iPod. Super Smash Bros had a feature where you could just listen to songs.” Shortly thereafter, Faye and her band covered a song from the hit Nintendo game, Animal Crossing. These Animal Crossing covers have become a notorious staple of her live shows.

At the show, you could tell Faye was suffering from a common cold. Returning from the long COVID break, artists–along with their voices and bodies– have had a difficult time adjusting and getting back into the swing of tour lifestyle. “I’m drinking throat coat right now…it’s awful,” she said on stage.

Before heading off stage, Faye performed “Half of Me,” an acoustic-driven outro. It was probably the highlight of the night, since I wasn’t expecting it to be performed live.

This past September, I also had the privilege of catching Faye live at Pitchfork Music Festival. Very similar to her headline show, I can confirm that they were both a delight.