Tate McRae’s debut album, released in the spring of 2022, gives off the energy of a vent session with your best friends, saying all the things you wish you could tell the boy who broke your heart. The 20-year-old pop phenomenon brings that exact energy to the stage on her headlining tour, “Are We Flying?”
Last week, McRae brought her incredible stage presence and energetic performance to Pier 17 for two sold out shows on September 19th and 20th. Pier 17 is a rooftop venue in lower Manhattan with incredible views of the skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, which makes for a concert experience unlike any other in the city. Although outdoor venues are typically less intimate, McRae was able to cultivate this intimacy, making the show feel like one big girls’ night. She danced around on stage in a cut-up Mets t-shirt and oversized shorts and took the audience on a lighthearted journey of navigating adolescence and romance.
Although she has headlined a tour before, this is her most substantial set of shows as the main act. It was not evident in the slightest at her show that this was her first big tour, as she seemed comfortable and confident on stage. McRae’s vocals alone are impressive and very unique. When paired with her professional dancing abilities, she is truly an elite performer. She barely sat still the entire show, which is interesting given how many of her songs are slower ballads. She was able to instill energy into some of her slower songs and keep the crowd engaged. Listeners who haven’t seen her live may not envision themselves dancing and screaming to heartache tracks like “rubberband”, but this is exactly the vibe that she creates at her show.
Easily one of the best parts of the show was when she performed her new hit single, “greedy”, a song that has completely taken over TikTok and music charts. It seems to be ushering in an era of confidence for the singer, as her recent singles and features have been much more upbeat, energetic, and sassy. While the single had only dropped a few days before this show, the audience screamed every lyric, highlighting her dominance in the music industry right now.
While Tate kept the energy up for a significant amount of the show, she did perform some of her songs in a more simple and raw way, sitting down centerstage and just singing. This variety of tempo and energy were necessary for songs like “boy x” that are so lyrically emotional and vocally striking.
She ended the show on her most popular song, “you broke me first” and while it was a somber song to end on, it was a powerful demonstration of her vocals and the perfect way to end the show.
With so much young female talent taking over pop music right now, this show was the ultimate affirmation that the pop industry is in very good hands. Tate McRae has definitely already been on her way to becoming a ‘main pop girly’ just her music alone, but this tour cements her as one of pop music’s best performers right now.
