CALGARY - Part of the appeal of Tegan and Sara is the hilarious way the sisters bark at each other onstage like, well, sisters.

The tension between the two has been documented in their DVDs, It's Not Fun, Don't Do It and 2007's The Con -- The Movie.

But even if they drive each other nuts, you do get the sense they still have a tremendous amount of respect and love for each other.

The sarcasm flowed last night as the Calgary-bred twins made a triumphant return to the Jubilee Auditorium.

About 2,200 adoring fans, friends and family members welcomed back the Quin sisters with raucous cheers and singalongs.

Both Tegan and Sara basked in the glory and repaid their loyal fans with some charming and hilarious banter, not to mention terrific vocal performances, particularly on the catchy singles Walking With a Ghost and Speak Slow.

At one point, Sara recalled attending her high school graduation at the Jube.

"I'm pretty sure I saw Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat here in Grade 11," she continued.

There was a brief technical glitch early on, but the girls handled it with ease, with rapid-fire jokes that went by so fast I didn't even get a chance to write them down.

Tegan and Sara's three-piece backing band was tight, anchoring the twins' soaring vocals.

I remember seeing Tegan and Sara perform during an open mic jam at the Ship & Anchor Pub when they were just barely out of high school.

They were obviously talented, but there was little indication that within a few years they would be touring with rock icon Neil Young and signed to his label, Vapor Records.

After ditching the Ani DiFranco-esque acoustic folk-pop sound of their earlier years, Tegan and Sara finally started to carve their own niche in the male-dominated rock scene.

Now 29, the Quins have six albums under their collective belt -- including the latest, Sainthood, released in October -- and have hit their stride with the melodic, edgy new wavey pop-rock of Sainthood and its predecessor The Con.

Australian two-piece An Horse opened the show with an energizing set of breezy indie pop.

Singer-guitarist Kate Cooper and drummer Damon Cox called out the crowd for being quiet, but in a friendly way. It's too bad more people didn't watch their set as An Horse played some of most wonderfully crafted, fuzzy pop songs I've heard in a long time.

Tegan and Sara perform again tonight at the Jube.