Even though they have existed in the same musical space for more than 30 years, Sleater-Kinney and Liz Phair had never played a show together until this September, when they joined forces for the “The Flannel and The Fury” tour. On September 21, they closed out this brief but memorable joint tour at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, bringing back the musical attitudes of the late ’90s with a modern edge.
The night opened with Frankie Cosmos (Greta Kline), whose work grew up alongside Phair’s and Sleater-Kinney’s legacies. Kline played a stripped-down set featuring only guitar and a 32-key synthesizer. She was met with enthusiastic cheers and whistles from the crowd, which consisted mostly of Generation Xers and older fans, with a sprinkling of college students decked out in leather jackets and Sub Pop Records merch.
When Sleater-Kinney came on around 8:30, their opening song, a fiery rendition of “Hell” from their 2024 album Little Rope, immediately lifted the room. The band sustained that intensity throughout their set, as frontwomen Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker ripped through high-tempo songs from across their catalog, accompanied by vibrant, rhythmic flashing lights. Brownstein was especially magnetic onstage, throwing herself into the music with a combination of eloquent, almost choreographed footwork and mosh-like jumping.
Toward the end of their set, Brownstein addressed the crowd, discussing how the band had always been told they were “too loud.”
“I don't f—ing care that we're loud anymore. We need volume right now,” she said. “We need to be loud for the people that can't be.”
Brownstein’s speech, during which she mentioned being loud for transgender individuals, people living in poverty, and the people of Palestine, was met with uproarious applause and cheering from the audience. For the rest of the set, which included hits like “Dig Me Out” and “Modern Girl,” the crowd jumped up and down and shouted, basking in the fury.
While Sleater-Kinney drew from their entire catalog, from 1994 to the present, Liz Phair took a different approach, focusing heavily on her earlier work from Exile in Guyville (1993) and Whip-Smart (1994). Phair brought a much more laid-back vibe to MGM, making small talk and joking around as she rolled through classics including “Supernova” and “F— and Run.” The audience picked up on her warmth, shouting that they loved her between almost every song.
To celebrate the final night of the tour, Phair invited Sleater-Kinney drummer Angie Boylan to play with her on “Never Said.” The crowd sang along so enthusiastically that, at moments, Phair’s voice was completely drowned out by their vocals. Phair also surprised the crowd with a new song, “Crystal Ball,” an up-tempo rock song reminiscent of her Exile in Guyville days. The song is featured on an exclusive tour-only 7-inch vinyl that Phair pressed to commemorate the occasion.
The tour's name, “The Flannel and The Fury,” turned out to be more than just a clever nod to the era that shaped both artists. While none of the musicians were actually wearing flannel, the fury was real both in Sleater-Kinney's blazing set and in the devotion of the crowd singing every word back to Phair.
Sharing the stage for the first time after more than 30 years in the same musical orbit, Sleater-Kinney and Liz Phair offered a fitting reminder that the spirit of the ’90s rock era never really disappeared. It simply grew older, changed shape, and, on this night in Boston, found a new way to be loud.
Clea Gaïtas Sur '27 is a staff writer