Carly Rae Jepsen at Roadrunner, 9/26/22
I can’t say that I’d ever seen a talking moon open a set, but that’s just what happened at Carly Rae Jepsen’s show at the Roadrunner. The animated moon that hovered above the stage coolly delivered a sermon to the eager masses, remarking “I am the ambassador of love, a comfort if you need one, here to say that everything is going to be OK. If you want to escape tonight, I offer you escapism. And if you need to feel something tonight? I offer you a safe place to feel whatever it is you need to feel. This night is for you.”
Those words were spoken with a wisdom that is perhaps reflective of Carly’s experiences as one of commercial pop’s most interesting cases: a young woman abruptly thrust into the spotlight, who then quietly matured into a thoughtful, intentional, and criminally overlooked master of her craft. Jepsen is a pop veteran who has surely seen and felt everything that the industry has to offer. At this point, she knows pop music inside and out, recognizes its power, and understands the purpose that people find in it, but crucially never feels the need to ham it up or cater to trends. This ethos has enabled Jepsen and her work to take on a mature and timeless quality without compromising on the maximalism and exuberance that makes pop music so appealing. The results are magical, and have rightfully earned her a cult following and critical acclaim – above all else, Jepsen and her producers just know how to craft good pop music.
The moon imparted one last nugget of wisdom upon the crowd before it left. “Being as old and young and wise as I am, there’s one thing I know. This love isn’t crazy.” And with that, we were off to the races – Jepsen’s band and backing vocalists/dancers took to the stage with Jepsen following in tow, striking a pose in front of a massive red glow that rendered her an ethereal silhouette. Without another word, Jepsen and crew launched into “This Love Isn’t Crazy,” the opening track from 2020’s B-sides album Dedicated Side B, which they then transitioned into “Let’s Sort the Whole Thing Out.”
As the song came to a close, Jepsen’s keyboardist quietly pulled out a sax and assumed center stage. Next thing I knew, I heard the iconic opening notes to “Run Away With Me,” and the crowd kicked into overdrive. “Run Away With Me” is one of those pop songs that simply moves you to tears by way of sheer euphoria – I had to muster every little bit of willpower to not do several stupid little twirls in the press pit. Jepsen held the mic out to the crowd during the song’s iconic chorus, which they obviously perfectly knew the words to.
The remainder of Jepsen’s show was a veritable 27-song highlight reel. “Julien” was bolstered by a blistering guitar solo which got the crowd jumping, the band pulled off a particularly slick transition from “Emotion” to “Favourite Colour,” and Jepsen even changed outfits between “Western Wind” and “I Really Really Like You.”
Jepsen evidently came with all her bases covered. She played new material from upcoming album The Loneliest Time in the form of the punchy “Talking To Yourself,” the tender “Western Wind,” “Beach House” (in which her male bandmates playfully voiced the undesirable men on the track), and the yet-to-be-released “Go Find Yourself or Whatever,” a comparatively stripped down number which I can personally see becoming a slow dance staple in the not-too-distant future. A comfortable chunk of the setlist was also composed of tracks from Jepsen’s B-sides albums – “Cry,” “Window,” and “Stay Away” amongst them – which speaks volumes about the quality of her body of work. And of course, she performed “Call Me Maybe,” the sugary-sweet tune that launched her into public consciousness a decade prior. I must admit, I enjoyed hearing the track live far more than I thought I would – far from being a novelty or even her “best song,” in the ten years since its release “Call Me Maybe” has simply assumed its place as another great track in Jepsen’s discography.
Jepsen led the crowd in an acapella sing-along to close out “When I Needed You,” and then left the stage momentarily to prepare for the encore. Jepsen and her band closed the night out with the house-inflected “I Didn’t Just Come Here to Dance,” “All That,” and “Cut To The Feeling,” a track that simply feels too bombastic to be real.
Poptimism has been the prevalent school of thought amongst music journalists and critics for the past few years, but the consequences of endlessly optimizing songs for virality and streams is undeniably beginning to take its toll on the quality of what we hear on a daily basis. It is becoming increasingly hard to hold back skepticism regarding the future of pop music, but Jepsen is a reminder of just how compelling pop music can and should be. Pop music in all of its spectacles, aesthetic & sonic grandeur, and universality – Jepsen is truly a pop star’s pop star. Having sold out the Roadrunner, I can only hope it’s a sign that Jepsen achieves the commercial success that she so rightfully deserves.