Seeing Gracie Abrams live is like going to the first day of summer camp: full of youth, excitement, a little anxiety, and the hope of making new friends. Gracie herself is the familiar friend but contains a star quality that justifiably places her on stage to lead the crowd in songs about heartbreak, vulnerability, and the perils of simply growing up.
As a performer, Gracie sounds true-to-track and often gets lost in the music closing her eyes and nodding to show she truly means each self-written lyric. All the while, she is kind, pausing now and then to smile at her fans, mouthing,
“Are you okay?”
“Hi”
and “I love you”
There’s a genuineness to her crowd interaction that can’t be faked nor taught.
Before singing the unreleased “Crossfire,” the singer shared that anxiety almost prevented her from embarking on the tour altogether. Pausing slightly, Gracie turned to the crowd to ask, “Who here has anxiety?” A mass of hands flew in the air, which is in some ways sad, but mostly speaks to the relatability of a Gen Z singer growing up in a time where mental health is normalized. In an intimate venue like Terminal West, the vulnerable moment and crushing lyrics that followed brought the crowd closer to each other, and non-surprisingly, closer to Gracie.
Highlights of the night include the unreleased single “The Bottom,” which is more upbeat pace than Gracie fans have heard but a step in the right direction for expanding the range of the up-and-coming star. Older fans will enjoy the live rendition of “Mean It,” in which Gracie solemnly begins singing behind a keyboard and ends standing at a mic with roaring drums that back whispers of “I know you mean it,” from the audience and singer collectively.
Gracie Abrams is an artist worth seeing and a name to remember. See her on the This is What it Feels Like Tour through March of 2022.
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