A&E

Singer-songwriter Faye Webster goes big in a small Las Vegas venue

Image
Faye Webster
COURTESY

Hundreds of trendy young people filed into Virgin’s intimate 24 Oxford venue on August 3 to check out a performance by Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Faye Webster. The mellow folk-pop performer rose to prominence after her song “Better Distractions” landed on Barack Obama’s annual year-end playlist in 2020. Her debut album, Run & Tell, arrived in 2013, and since then she has released three more studio records, the most recent being Car Therapy, an EP that reimagines songs from two of her previous albums with orchestral instrumentation.

An inflatable bust of Webster, a nod to her EP cover art, adorned 24 Oxford’s colorfully lit stage as the singer stepped out to greet an enthusiastic crowd. Garbed in her usual charming getup—a T-shirt dress—she opened the show with “Kind Of,” delivering hushed vocals and lolling guitar licks that mesmerized the room. Some numbers included orchestral accents, like the soulful violin on “She Won’t Go Away.” Webster has a gift for creating alluring musical arrangements that translate beautifully to a live setting, and thanks to her committed performance and her talented band, they did just that.

But the crowd wasn’t stuck in a trance the whole night. On fan favorites like “Right Side of My Neck” they eagerly shouted every lyric. In fact, the crowd was so enthusiastic that they beat her to her cue at one point, and she let out a laugh and thanked them.

As she paused for a drink of water a few songs into the set, one fan gifted her a bright yellow Pikachu hat (the 25-year-old singer often speaks about her love for Pokémon), and another fan passed her a plushie. She even offered to take photos using another fan’s digital camera.

“Thank you, this is sick. This is sick as f*ck,” she said.

Webster became the full center of attention during “Half of Me,” as her bandmates left the stage. Her whisper-quiet, yet powerful vocals shone, ending the regular set with a warm moment. But the crowd wouldn’t leave the room before hearing “Kingston,” Webster’s most-played song on Spotify and Apple Music. Her performance of the hit was full of gusto and plenty of hair-flipping.

The dedication Webster shows to delivering her music well, and the gracious way in which she interacts with the crowd, is telling of how overjoyed she is to share her music with a live audience. The night at 24 Oxford was a unique experience, possibly the last of its kind: With this sold-out performance, Webster showed Las Vegas that she might require a bigger venue when she returns.

Share
Top of Story