Faye Webster is a 26-year-old singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. Signed with Awful Records and Secretly Canadian, she sings alternative/indie songs about love, life experiences, and how she feels daily. With four albums released since 2013, this young musician has blown up in the last few years with 6,918,161 monthly listeners on Spotify, and a sold-out tour.
On June 21, 2023, I got a Spotify presale code for her Fall 2023 tour, and I never put my card information in so fast—I grabbed twenty-five-dollar tickets for my sister and I. Anticipating this show for months, as I’ve always been captivated by music (I’m learning to play my electric guitar and you’ll rarely see me without my headphones on), I’m recently getting into going to concerts and music festivals. I had gone to see Steve Lacy just days before I bought my Faye tickets. Nov. 12, 2023 was immediately put into all my planners, and now that the day has passed, I can honestly say that was such an impactful night for me.
Held at The Factory in Deep Ellum, there was an entry line that wrapped around the block. The line was filled with Doctor Martens, maxi skirts, Mary Janes, loafers, and people wearing hair bows. My sister and I enjoyed how all of Faye’s fans had a similar style. It felt like a tight-knit community, and we all planned to dress similarly for a collaborative photo. As I pulled up to the venue, my parents were genuinely surprised to see how huge the entry line was, especially for a smaller indie artist. I happily waited as the line moved quickly, and it only took 15 minutes until security drew an “X” on both of my hands to sign that I was younger than 21, and scanned my ticket barcode.
I was emotional as soon as I stepped into the venue. I had such an overwhelming sense of excitement, as this was the first time I had gotten tickets for an artist I truly enjoy listening to daily, by myself. The venue was larger than I expected, and after researching, I found it could hold 4,600 people. It was general standing admission, and the seats upstairs were first come first serve. Knowing I would want to stand, I made my way to the merch stand because I believe in getting my merch before the show. The beautiful voice of Faye’s opener, Maye, was background music for me as she sang “Kaleidoscope” and I made my way to wait 45 minutes for merchandise. I thought I didn’t know the opener until she sang her song “Tu”, which I had on one of my playlists for a while. It was thrilling to know one of Maye’s songs as I spent more than a hundred dollars on Faye shirts and a tote bag.
The show began with an orchestral opening, until Faye appeared out of the fog and blue lighting singing one of her newly released singles “But Not Kiss”. The crowd was such a good group of people. They were kind, and didn’t push and shove to get barricade spots. Everyone stood on their own and we all got to enjoy together, without being packed on top of each other like sardines. Nobody ever sang louder than Faye, unless it was one of her songs that has gained extreme popularity including: “Right Side Of My Neck”, “A Dream With a Baseball Player”, “In A Good Way”, “Cheers”, and “Better Distractions”. She switched between playing her guitar and her keyboard flawlessly.
I thought that the lighting and production of the experience was really cool. Visually the warm tones of navy blue, orange, and white really added to Faye’s bewitching voice. She sounded softer than the studio versions of her songs, and it really sank in that she was singing live in front of me when her voice influxed differently from the versions I listen to, or how she added tiny quirks to the lyrics.
The most memorable part of the concert for me was when she sang “Jonny”, from her album Atlanta Millionaires Club, named after her hometown. “Jonny” was the first song I ever heard by Faye, and it was instantly one of my favorite melodies. It was included in my Spotify Wrapped’s Top Songs in 2022 as I had listened to it hundreds of times, probably for hours on repeat. The soft drums of the songs intro made my cry. It entertained my younger sister who recorded me, but I was a watery-eyed mess. I enjoyed that she sang “Suite: Jonny”, which is the version that is backed by a full orchestra, and at the end included “Jonny: Reprise” from her EP, Car Therapy Sessions.
At first it was a light tearing up, because I was trying not to fall apart in public. At the instrumental break that separates the song and the reprise, which usually includes an enchanting violin, was replaced by a drum breakdown and synced up colorful lights. I was recording “Jonny”, but the second the extended drum breakdown started I couldn’t contain my tears. I was trying to pull it together but it was so surreal to me. Its crazy how music can evoke such emotion out of you.
With her set being around an hour, not including a performance of “Eterna City” from Pokemon (as Pokemon is Faye’s favorite thing), a yo-yo trick performance, and an unreleased song, Faye ended out her show with “Cheers” before she said thank you and left. The crowd chanted, “Kingston”, for an encore of one of her most popular songs. Faye and her band returned wearing pokemon hats that fans had thrown on stage, and played what Faye called “a stupid song” she wrote for fun, and “Kingston”.
As the show ended, I felt peaceful and content. It was a super relaxed and fun atmosphere. There weren’t any sweaty arms around me, or people stepping on me like it was a music festival. Just people my age, or a little older enjoying some music rooted in jazz, indie folk, alternative, and Atlanta’s R&B background. Overall, I think that night will forever be a memorable experience for me, and best believe Faye will be at the top of my Spotify Wrapped this year, and the years to come.
