On the night of Sept. 26, an animation of a guitar-slinging “Despicable Me” minion bearing an uncanny resemblance to Faye Webster was projected on a massive white T-shirt in the Alex Madonna Expo Center.
With the initial piano chords of “But Not Kiss” off her new album “Undressed at the Symphony,” the sold-out auditorium recognized the riff in a split second, erupting with applause as Webster took the stage.
Webster’s Madonna Expo date was the tenth stop in a run of sixteen for her Undressed at the Symphony release tour. On this night, she was accompanied by Mei Ehara, a long-time friend and collaborator on Webster’s sophomore album “I Know I’m Funny haha,” whose voice and musical background can be recognized on the track “Overslept.”
“I’ve always dreamed of touring together,” Webster told the crowd. “Everyone say ‘We love you Mei!’”
The stage decor was based on an interpretation of Webster’s album name, with light-up laundry machines flanked by racks of blue shirts complemented by the huge white t-shirt being used as a projector screen center stage. Later, flurries of bubbles floated amongst fans as they sang along to “Thinking About You.”
This tour has been one of extraordinary success for Webster, who sold out the majority of her shows days in advance. Though she recently received viral status when “Kingston” reached TikTok, the Atlanta-based artist released her first album “Run and Tell” in 2013.
Her set included the then-unreleased romantic number “After the First Kiss.” The song holds true to Webster’s inclination to genre-bending, offering bossa-y drums, R&B production and piano riffs fit for a ballad.
Webster is one of those unique artists who can have a crowd singing and dancing one minute with opening songs like “Thinking About You” and “Right Side of My Neck” and at the next, have reduced everyone to a weepy mess, especially with her emotional live rendition of “Jonny/Jonny (Reprise).”
Though Webster seldom spoke throughout the performance, it felt as though her music spoke for her as she switched between her various guitars and keyboard. It was clear that Webster was in her own zone, but through the lack of monologue, she urged her listeners to follow the music more closely, inviting them into her trance for the whole hour-and-a-half set.
Before wrapping up her Madonna Expo set with the hit song “Kingston,” Webster introduced her band and then said, “My name is Faye, thank you so much for coming.”
