Carly Rae Jepsen Plays the Classics at the Ryman

The possibly perfect Carly Rae Jepsen really only has one major “hit” in the United States — 2012's viral smash “Call Me Maybe." But she has a boatload of “classics,” as far as fans are concerned. “What’s your favorite track from the new record?” “Which song are you most looking forward to?” This was the discussion over pre-show french fries at Robert’s on Sunday night, and everyone in my group had a different answer. When it was time to head over, we were greeted at the front door by a hard, hot summer storm. This was a job for the back door — sprinting through the alley in a downpour, we rounded the corner to the Ryman, and wrung out our clothes in the bathrooms as best we could. 

Aussie openers Mansionair were able to create pretty big sounds in the venue for a three-piece. “Indie electronic” is a vague and broad description, and Mansionair landed precisely in the realm of vague and broad, with the best songs sounding like they would fit well under a very dramatic scene in Grey’s Anatomy. I wasn’t necessarily wowed, but I was charmed. Not charmed as much as one audience member, though, who — after a few brief, cutely accented words from teen-idol-looking frontman Jack Froggatt — dreamily hollered above the crowd, “Where are you from?”

Jepsen’s set began with a smart use of light. Colored spotlights reflected off of her shiny black pants (very Bad Sandy) and plastic jacket (part Blade Runner, part discotheque). Segments of her clothes (and definitely her fingernails) were playfully blacklight reactive. The requisite mirror ball was there, of course, reflecting beams of padparadscha pink onto the ecstatic, always-on-their-feet-and-singing-every-word crowd. 

The stage setup was simple, with a few floating, intersecting rectangular screens and a couple of steps and platforms for Jepsen to hop onto when the mood struck. She’s a live performer who isn’t afraid of performing — of playing the part of pop star. Her energy didn’t appear to lag at any point, and her eyes held a Disney Princess sparkle all night. 

Jepsen's choreography reminds me of The Temptations or The Four Tops. When she sings about rain, she twinkles her fingers down. The chorus of “Run Away With Me” includes the lyric, “I’ll be your hero and win it,” and when she gets to “hero,” she flexes her arms as a show of her superhero strength. It’s the best bedroom dancing you’ve ever done, transferred to the stage — she points to the audience when she sings “you,” draws her arm back to her chest when the line is “me.”

She got the “hit” out of the way early, with the sing-along to “Call Me Maybe” only slightly more rousing than … every other song sung back at her. Because every track is basically a fan favorite, the set list never lagged. “Julien” (from her latest album Dedicated) wasn’t one I was particularly looking forward to, but it wowed me live. Again, Jepsen played the performance game with a totally straight face — she acted out the songs, like an actual good actor.  Jotting down the set list, I put hearts next to my favorite songs. My notebook looks like a fifth grader’s — “Happy Not Knowing,” “Gimmie Love,” “Want You in My Room,” “Too Much,” “Boy Problems,” “Party for One” — the gang’s all here! I was most looking forward to “Everything He Needs” and had my expectations exceeded. That's not just because Jepsen’s rain fingers were back, and not just because when the word “disco” popped up in the lyrics she literally did a little Saturday Night Fever-esque finger-pointing dance — it was because the crowd was playing right along with her. 

I loved it when Jepsen crossed her arms and swayed and swaggered around the mic. I loved it when she made arguably the boldest costume change I’ve ever seen, into a sequined bodysuit printed over with creepy, illustrated faces. (It reminded me of the King of the Hill episode where Bobby wants to become a classical clown.) I loved the smaller moments when you could see the whole depth of the stage, a few un-glam nuts and bolts of theater production, right there in plain sight. I loved the silly, fun moments she had with the sax player — saxophone being a very important instrument in Jepsen’s catalog. 

Concerts like Sunday’s are supposed to be about those silly, fun moments. It seemed like the rest of the audience was having as many of those as they could themselves. And when Jepsen approached her crowd at the top of the encore, her girly stage voice dropped a little into a deeper “real” voice, and she let us in on a chat she just had backstage with her band: “This is our favorite show we’ve ever done.” If you told me that was part of every show, I’d believe it — but it wouldn’t make it feel any less true.

See our slideshow for more photos.