Tegan and Sara at Amoeba Music, Berkeley, 3/4/10

There are some acts that treat their in-stores like a chore, going into a store in some city somewhere, and then mail it in. Tegan and Sara is definitely not one of those acts. In my opinion, they perform better at record stores than they do on stage in front of a couple thousand people (where you can see them tomorrow night). They’re relaxed and personable, do lots of comedy bits, and interact with their fans. It’s a joy to watch. And because the material they’re playing is strong, it’s a pleasure to attend.

This particular in-store had a ticket distribution last Friday, and the tickets were gone in mere hours. There was a line from 4AM or the tickets alone! So the line to get in was well down the block by the time arrived. Luckily for me, I was an invited member of the press (Thanks to Spenser at Amoeba!) and could skip the line. Unluckily for me, this meant I had to deal with the angry stares of fans who had been waiting for hours as I got to my spot where I was waiting to get great pictures for all of you, my dear readers.

The performance seemed to fly by, as they played only seven songs. They played an acoustic version of the Tiesto collaboration, “Feel It in My Bones,” and their collaboration with Hunter of AFI, “Hell.” They skipped their biggest “hits,” focusing on new material and a couple of fan favorites. They sound great together for sure, and Amoeba does a great job of hosting in-stores. The entire room was all smiles for the full hour.

Tegan and Sara set list for 3/4/10 at Amoeba Berkeley