By: Natalie Kiene
A hair bow is mandatory for any of Gracie Abrams’ sold-out shows. Entering the lobby of Radio City Music Hall you will be met with a sea of lace, ribbons and of course, bows. Gracie first gained attention when she opened for Olivia Rodrigo on her U.S. leg of the Sour Tour. Eventually, she joined Taylor Swift for her record-breaking The Eras Tour. The release of her EP This Is What It Feels Like and her first album Good Riddance established Gracie Abrams as a “Sad Girl.” In June, it seemed that Gracie released her second studio album, The Secret of Us, solely for the hopeless romantics. Through her music, Gracie Abrams apprises the secrets and hard truths of love and relationships.
Gracie Abrams performed live in New York City for three sold-out nights at Radio City Music Hall – a perfect venue. The theater amplified her voice, allowing everyone, even far back, to hear and see her perfectly. Joining Gracie on her The Secret of Us Tour, Role Model opened the show with several songs from his new album Kansas Anymore. He helped bring the energy up and while not everyone knew all his songs, “Deeply Still in Love” and “Blind” warmed up the audience. By the time he finished, the audience was buzzing with anticipation for Gracie. When her first song “Felt Good About You” started playing, the audience started screaming in excitement. She appeared on stage partially concealed behind what looked like a cage, which brought a sense of mystique. The slow pace of the song helped with the build-up to her next song, “Risk,” which was more upbeat. Finally, she emerged, barefoot, in a long white skirt and cropped linen top, with her guitar in hand. She swept along the stage like a dancer for her more upbeat songs and sat behind a piano for her melancholy songs. The show’s production was fabulous, as the stage was a different color for each of her songs. For example, “Close To You” was magenta, and “21” was blue.
Although fans were satisfied with her show, there was controversy over Gracie trading out the fan favorite “Mess It Up” for her new song “That’s So True.” While fans were disappointed not to hear “Mess It Up,”, they were very excited to hear that “That’s So True” would be featured on the deluxe album – set to be released on October 18th. Her surprise song for her October 4th show was Rockland, also a favorite. She closed the set with “Close To You.” Although it was once an unreleased 30-second clip, it now appears on the album.
