There was a time when Faye Webster would slip quietly into symphony halls back in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, alone, often buying a ticket at the last possible minute just to sit among strangers and disappear into the sound. It was like medicine, a way to find peace when everything else felt heavy.
“Going to the symphony was almost like therapy for me,” Webster shared in the program for her Walt Disney Concert Hall performance on Saturday, Nov. 1, in Los Angeles. “I was quite literally underdressed at the symphony because I would just decide at the last moment that that’s what I wanted to do. I got to leave what I felt like was kind of a shitty time in my life and be in this different world for a minute.”
On Saturday evening, Webster stood in front of that very world, leading the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra through a live reimagining of her most beloved discography. What once began as private solace had now become a shared, symphonic experience with fans, “a full-circle moment,” she shared with the audience mid-way through the night.
As the lights dimmed, the room glowed in warm gold and soft blue tones. Webster appeared at center stage in a long black gown adorned with roses, a simple yet unique silhouette against the golden wood panels of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Without an introduction or even a word, she began.
She opened with “Kind Of (Type of Way),” a track from her 2022 “Car Therapy Sessions” that already hinted at her orchestral ambitions. Backed with a now live orchestra, the song rushed into something fuller and more immersive, her voice carried gently by waves of sound.
The performance balanced intimacy with grandeur. Under conductor Thomas Wilkins, the orchestra’s arrangements added warmth and cinematic sweep without overwhelming Webster’s quiet vocals. “Right Side of My Neck” and “Car Therapy” resonated through the hall with clarity, every rise and pause reflecting the tenderness of her storytelling.
This wasn’t a typical Faye Webster concert, nor was it a traditional symphonic performance. The crowd remained seated in stillness, a contrast to the lively singalongs at her usual indie rock shows. Yet even in that quiet, emotion ran high. During “In a Good Way,” orange light bathed the stage as two men in the front row sat with their hands over their faces, clearly moved, possibly crying, and proving that even grown millennial men can get wrecked by a Faye Webster string section.
The orchestra and Webster’s own bandmates — including her pianist Nick Rosen, who performed with both precision and familiarity — moved in perfect rhythm.
Between songs, Webster took a brief moment to address the audience, expressing how this collaboration felt like the culmination of an idea that began when she first conceived “Underdressed at the Symphony.” “
This is where it all began,” she said softly, smiling toward the ensemble behind her.
Throughout her 17-song set, Webster effortlessly bridged the gap between her world of quiet indie introspection and the grandeur of the orchestra. Standout moments included “Flowers,” the reflective “Wanna Quit All the Time,” and the instrumental “Feeling Good Today,” which gave the orchestra center stage. Every piece carried the same throughline of vulnerability and warmth — that ability Webster has to turn passing thoughts into something profound.
When she stepped offstage, the applause filled every corner of the hall. Moments later, she returned for an encore of “I Know You,” joined once again by the orchestra.
By the end of the night, it was apparent these songs were always meant for an orchestra, and Webster knew it. Each arrangement seemed to breathe new life into her catalog, filling the room with sound that lingered long after the final note. It was the kind of performance that sends chills up your spine, making you fall in love with her songs all over again.