I felt pretty responsible as I approached the Factory a solid 30 minutes before doors opened, confident that I would be one of the show’s earlier arrivals. However, after picking up my tickets and photo pass from the box office I began walking towards the end of the crowd… and kept walking… and kept walking. The line for Faye Webster’s concert wound up wrapping around three blocks of Deep Ellum. My only clue that it was actually one continuous line was the fact that some people in the queue simply looked like Faye Webster fans (derogatory). I was only able to enter the venue 15 minutes before the opener Maye took to the stage, so much for being responsible.
Luckily, as soon as Maye started, all of my trials and tribulations getting inside of the venue felt worth it. I was not previously familiar with the Venezuelan-American artist but her mix of English and Latin indie pop/rock had me vibing for the entire 35-minute set. Even though the set just consisted of a backing track pulled up on a laptop, guitar and live vocals, all of the elements fit perfectly. It never felt minimalist or underwhelming, especially because of Maye’s excellent vocal performance and her guitarist Ori Aravena’s skills on the instrument. The audience was particularly excited for her cover of Bad Bunny’s “La Canción” and her hit single “Tú.” It’s very rare to see that many people sing along or break out their phones to film during an opener’s set.
After a slightly long break between sets, during which the crowd got progressively more excited and agitated as each instrument on stage was tested by crew members, Webster and her band finally came out on stage. By the first song, the 2023 single “But Not Kiss,” I knew this would be a special concert. Webster, her band, and everyone working tech at the venue were in perfect form. As the lights flashed dramatically from complete darkness to harsh white in perfect time with the music, the benefits of going to a larger venue that utilizes more complex lighting than a strip of LEDs on the back wall (I won’t name names, but this DFW venue knows who they are) became immediately clear to me.
After jumping around the stage for “But Not Kiss,” Webster calmed down for “Better Distractions” and “Kind Of” from her 2021 breakthrough album I Know I’m Funny haha. I would say that these songs felt like audience favorites, but honestly the whole setlist felt like audience favorites. Even though I heard a few people remarking in the line outside the venue that they were “fake Faye Webster fans,” I’m sure the real fans in the audience were having a great time and even the fake fans were hopefully converted by the end of the night.
The following songs, “Right Side of My Neck” and “A Dream With a Baseball Bat,” highlighted Webster’s perfect blend of R&B and country-folk. The performances perfectly mirrored the recorded versions, in large part to the talent of Webster’s band including Annie Leeth on keys, Noor Khan on bass, and Charles LaMont on drums. Of course, the real star of the show for me was Matt ‘Pistol’ Stoessel on guitar and pedal steel. I’m already biased because I have an immense passion for pedal steel, but Webster’s concert provided me with the best ammunition to argue that every song would be improved with a steel solo.
After telling the crowd that her mom was in the audience and forcing everyone to say, “hey mommy,” Webster then started another fan-favorite, “I Know I’m Funny haha.” The crowd was once again united as everyone sang/shouted along when Webster sang “But fuck him, he kept my money.” This performance was particularly dynamic, with more excellent steel and Webster flipping off the unnamed male antagonist of the song.
After the song finished, something happened that could only ever happen at a Faye Webster concert: a yo-yo intermission. Faye Webster’s friend Miguel Correa came out and delighted the audience with a couple of minutes of yo-yo tricks. Apparently, Correa is based in Dallas so this was a special treat only for those fortunate enough to find themselves at the Factory that night.
Webster returned to stage with “Suite: Jonny,” the slower, piano version of one of her most popular songs. The audience struggled a little to sing along with the slower lyrics and didn’t even attempt to try to keep up with the spoken-word section, but it still felt really special especially as the song descended into rock chaos at the end.
Webster closed the emotional performance by saying six words every audience member wants to hear: “This is a song from Pokémon.” The audience was then treated to a special instrumental performance of “Eterna City” from Pokémon Diamond & Pearl.
She finally returned to her own catalog with a transcendent performance of “Lifetime,” another new single from this year. Webster then played a somehow even newer song, the as of yet unreleased “Wilco Type Beat,” which she’s been testing out on stage over the course of this tour. The set was closed with “In A Good Way,” which featured more sick pedal steel. Even though some of Webster’s more popular songs like “Jonny” or “I Know I’m Funny haha” qualify as breakup songs, a lot of the setlist this night felt really romantic. I’m sure that this would have been a great concert to go to as the girlfriend of someone and a terrible concert to go to if you recently experienced a breakup. Luckily, the hypothetical wronged exes got to end the night with some catharsis as Webster closed the set with her heaviest, angriest song “Cheers.”
Of course, the night was not truly over and almost as soon as Webster stepped off stage, the audience started yelling out for an encore. However, this was not your traditional “Encore” chant, this audience had a specific goal: “Kingston,” the slow jam from Webster’s 2019 album Atlanta Millionaire’s Club. After minutes of cheering, Webster finally came back out. However, they did not immediately break out into “Kingston.” The encore started off with just Webster and Khan duetting—while wearing Pokémon character hats— “Feeling Good Today,” another unreleased track that Webster introduced by saying “This is a dumb song.” Finally, the audience’s wishes came true and the fake fans who only knew one Faye Webster song had their requests answered. The rest of the band came out to perform “Kingston” with Webster and it was honestly perfect. It will always be shocking to me that such a slow, country-influenced song could command a crowd that large, but I guess that’s the power of Faye Webster. I don’t know what other ostensibly underground artist could have that many people wrapped around Deep Ellum waiting hours for a concert. As her fanbase only continues to grow, you can expect to see me standing in line for the upcoming Faye Webster stadium tour.
