Faye Webster is no stranger to musical evolution. Comparing her first EP, Run and Tell, to her most recent album, Underdressed at the Symphony, will leave any listener struggling to believe both works are from the same artist. However, this drastic yet gradual change in sound over the years has shaped Webster into a well-defined, authentic figure in the music industry, with an originality that demands a lent ear.
At Webster’s September 19th show at Moody Amphitheater, and throughout her 2024 tour, the case is no different. Webster began the night with “Thinking About You,” a hit off of her newest album, stirring excitement through each listener with each suspenseful break in the song that immediately followed with a full burst of sound from her band.
As the show continued, Webster delivered shining performances of tracks off of not just Underdressed at the Symphony, but from I Know I’m Funny haha and Atlanta Millionaires Club too. Regardless of the discographic era Webster sourced from in her setlist, one continuity was weaved throughout the entirety of the show; Webster never tried to be anyone but herself. She was confident in her sound and eager to let the audience into what she created, fostering a sense of warm vulnerability that diffused itself throughout the entirety of the venue’s amphitheater.
Webster's band incorporated musical features of pedal steel guitar, heavily autotuned vocals, distorted instrumental breaks, and a classical guitar solo that lulled the entire audience into a trance. There was no single sound that Webster aimed for in encapsulating her musical image, rather the idea that what she had to give us was both intentional and true.
This was highlighted in Webster’s performance of her hit, “Johnny.” Following the undoubtedly beautiful, vulnerable and genuine song, Webster extended its usual four minutes of playtime to include the reprise to the song, speaking out to a distant and supposed “Johnny” while simultaneously including each and every member of the audience in an intimate conversation where each pondered over their own “Johnny” alongside one another.
Webster also had a surprise in store, later revealing a song titled, “After the First Kiss”, which was unreleased at the time but released as a single on October 2nd. This, along with her giddy performance of “He Loves Me Yeah!” with a pronoun switch to “She Loves Me Yeah!” hints that Webster herself has found a certain someone in the midst of her early adulthood endeavors.
A good show is one that doesn’t try to be like any other that came before it. A good performer gives their audience nothing less than a genuine, artistic authenticity and honesty that makes for an intimate connection. Webster gave the amphitheater full of Austinians, many being college kids and young adults scrambling for answers on life and love, exactly what she had created: a transparent and unguarded performance filled with learned lessons, serenity, and the puzzling question of what it means to both love and grow.
