“This was never a radio song but it’s a song that ended up becoming really big because it was in a TV show called Grey’s Anatomy,” Tegan Quin said recently at The Atlantis.
In 2004, Tegan and Sara’s management contacted them with the opportunity to license the song to Grey’s Anatomy for use in its pilot. “We had no idea it would go on to be an absolute epic,” Tegan added. “They’ve used the song seven times!”
The song in question is “Where Does the Good Go?” from So Jealous (2004), the album that allowed the duo to breakthrough in the United States. And at The Atlantis, Tegan and Sara performed it as the third song in a freewheeling, relaxed acoustic show for a joyful DC crowd that soaked up every moment in the band in the sold-out small venue.
On July 6 at The Atlantis, Tegan and Sara were in very high spirits, and they bantered and sang their way through a concert that transfixed the 450 people that were fortunate enough to have tickets as part of The Atlantis’ opening schedule of big acts in an intimate club. The chat about “Where Does the Good Go?” led to an in-depth and quirky analysis of the financials of a beloved condo that Sara brought in part with royalties from Grey’s Anatomy and how she shared the profits from its sale with her ex-girlfriend.
The last time Tegan and Sara visited DC, Tegan was sick, so the performance at 9:30 Club was special in its own way as Sara carried sole vocal duties and Tegan was a trooper with a sore throat on instruments. This show was a different animal. As it was purely acoustic, Tegan and Sara selected songs that worked well with that arrangement. And they were both super chill and casual, much to the delight of the giddy fans who packed The Atlantis to see them.
That said, their 2022 album Crybaby was the star of the show, as Tegan and Sara dedicated about a quarter of the show to it. They performed those songs close to each other right before the midpoint of the show, pacing through “Yellow,” “Smoking Weed Alone,” “Under My Control,” and “Fucking Up What Matters.”
Watch the official music video for “Smoking Weed Alone” by Tegan and Sara on YouTube:
Tegan and Sara launched into the final third of their show with a welcome performance of “Feel It in My Bones,” a song recorded by Dutch DJ Tiësto, who initiated a collaboration with them for his 2009 album Kaleidoscope.
Such collaborations are the norm today, Tegan said, “but back then it was career suicide. So, we said, ‘let’s do it!'” She added, “It ended up being cool. It was one of those things where Sara and I go against the grain because we like the adventure.”
Tegan and Sara gave several of their top pop songs the folk treatment as they ambled toward the close of the show, charming the audience with fan-favorites “Closer” from Heartthrob (2013) and “Walking with a Ghost” from So Jealous. They ended the show with “Living Room” from If It Was You (2002), a true folk song for a very sentimental show.
The song resurfaced a lot of emotions for Sara, who was moving cities and far from friends and family during the period. It was about “figuring out if I could do it on my own — life,” Sara said. It was a period of “big change” that made Sara thankful for the changes she experienced recently, settling in Vancouver near Tegan and raising a family.
“I love the grounded that we feel when I’m standing in front of you on stage,” Sara added, expressing gratitude for all of the good things she’s experienced in recent years. The very tuned-in audience of smiling faces reflected that gratitude back to her.
Here are some photos of Tegan and Sara performing at The Atlantis on July 6, 2023. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Katherine Gaines.
