Live Review: Tegan & Sara

Tegan & Sara's performance at the Opera House was a fitting reflection of their progress as musicians and as cultural identities. Their progression from acoustic singer-songwriters to triumphant pop stars has walked hand in hand with their touring habits. No longer are they playing support for mid-level indie bands in bars and community halls. Now they command sell-out shows in iconic national locations. They no longer play rough-edged acoustic numbers exclusively. They dive headlong into big brash pop songs full of hooks and soaring harmonies and their fans, judging by the reaction at this show, have no problem with this at all.

Still, they remained unfazed by the high ceilings and the weight of the House's reputation. Halfway through Alligator, Sara stops the band. Tegan looks on with a mixture of concern and friendly condescension on her face. This has happened before. The band smile and toy with Sara's goofy requests to start again, “from the third verse, please”. It's a nice human moment in a slick, glossy pop set that otherwise hits everything with pinpoint accuracy.

They have a reputation as being quite open with their audience, and it's certainly warranted. The set was broken up with some lengthy monologues not only about their music, but also about themselves. Their shared experiences revealed a past intimacy with sadness and melancholy that was a nice counterpoint to the bright tone of the songs they now write. Their show was a nice balancing act between poignancy and bubblegum-chewing and their sharp wit coloured everything they performed, no matter how neon or moody it was.

The majority of the set consisted of stuff from their latest release, Heartthrob, but they rewarded the crowd with a generous setlist reaching all the way back to 2002's If It Was You. The crowd loved it and weren't shy - and the band reacted with humility and gratitude. Where they go from here is unknown. It's hard to progress from full-blown pop and there aren't many places bigger than the Opera House with which to assert your success. Whatever the case may be, these shows will be a milestone for them, and for us.