A whole year after the release of her 2024 studio album, Underdressed at the Symphony, the beloved singer-songwriter and Atlanta native Faye Webster returned to Chicago for two back-to-back impressively packed shows at the Salt Shed! Faye has undoubtedly accrued her fair share of the limelight since the release of that album and after this spectacular performance I left the Salt Shed as a new fan while also wondering what rock I’ve been hiding under.
Joining Faye Webster on tour; Japanese born singer and songwriter Mei Ehara opened up the evening with a rather chill set that effortlessly captivated the fans' attention with her quirky instrumentation. Her sound was almost reminiscent of the sound effects and background music of the old Nintendo Wii system, which gave a nostalgic yet comforting feeling to her lo-fi indie rock sound. I cannot imagine how rewarding the feeling is to come from overseas and perform to such a massive and engaged crowd; it was rather obvious that the entire floor was vibing to her and her band! After what felt like such a short set, Faye Webster’s eager fans gathered together as close as they could to the stage.
Faye Webster truly shows she's an artist who cares about their fans, as she provided a pre-show concert etiquette and tips slideshow playing as they set up for her performance. Sometimes we have to remind fans that everyone is there for the same reason and to be mindful and respectful of everyone attending; good on you, Faye! As the lights went down screams were let out throughout the room. Hearing such wails coming from her fans confirmed just how devoted and passionate they are; at one point I even heard a group of fans in the front row sobbing as she came out on stage after a hilarious intro that included Faye as a minion projected on the screen. Opening up with her song “But Not Kiss,” the crowd went absolutely wild over this hauntingly beautiful and explosive track.
The setlist was perfectly sprinkled with songs from across her discography (of course with an emphasis on Underdressed at the Symphony) and she performed my personal favorite newer song of hers, “Lego Ring.” It’s noisy and raw guitar paired with the tempo changes and distorted vocals AND a feature with Lil Yachty, it’s definitely a left field song on the record which is probably why I adore it so much! Into the meat of the show; Faye brought out Wilco’s very own Jeff Tweedy to perform a duet of “Impossible Germany.”
Faye and her band started to wind down the night with her song “Cheers” before returning for an encore consisting of another duet of “Feeling Good Today” with her close friend on stage. The autotune on this track translated beautifully during their live performance, tying everything together so well. They finished off the mellow evening with “Kingston” and an explosion of bubbles filled the room to conclude the show. It truly was an honor for Chicago to host Faye Webster’s conclusion to her Underdressed at the Symphony tour. She came around town several times throughout this album cycle but these last two shows were definitely something special for fans to look back on. Even Faye herself burst into joyous tears on stage as the realization that it was the final show set in, which was met with a round of applause and cheers in efforts to uplift this vigorously talented artist.
All photos by Andrew Lagunas.