Indie-pop singer/songwriter Gracie Abrams made her way to Chicago as an interlude from her “The Secret of Us Deluxe Tour,” and as the clock ticked closer to 7:00 p.m. at the T-Mobile stage, the crowd’s anticipation became palpable. Audience members started to chant her name and jumped up and down, trying to catch a glimpse of the star.
Abrams flaunted on stage in her trademark “cool girl” style — a rouse that quickly grew old. She opened with “Risk,” a track off of her 2024 album “The Secret of Us.” This song particularly sparked the crowd’s energy as they started to scream the lyrics alongside Abrams. The sheer size of her crowd seemed to take Abrams by surprise as she breathed, “Holy s—,” into the microphone.
“We’re all like completely pinching ourselves up here and backstage too, this is just really unbelievable,” Abrams said. “I love your city so much. I’m so grateful to be here with you tonight.”
Abrahms scattered songs like “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “That’s So True,” and “Close to You” throughout her set. These tracks were well-known by the crowd, evident by their loud screaming of the lyrics. During the bridges of these tunes, the crowd’s singing became almost indistinguishable from Abrams’ due to its sheer volume.
However, Abrams too quickly moved into slower songs like “I Told You Things,” losing a bit of the traction earned by the opening of her performance.
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The middle of her performance was further lulled with piano performances of “Death Wish” and “I miss you, I’m sorry.” The saving grace of this portion of the set was Abrams’ facial expressions. Although she was difficult to see tucked away at the piano, the side screens were filled with her face as she expressed every lyric seamlessly and poetically.
Aside from this, Abrams did very little to put on a captivating performance during her set. It felt as though her popularity was a safety net, and she felt there was no reason for her to go above and beyond as a performer.
Abrams said very little to the crowd throughout the set; she only shared little bits of gratitude, which only got her so far.
Despite being on T-Mobile’s gigantic stage, Abrams underutilized the space, sticking to just a few areas and forgoing many of the technical opportunities like lighting or pyrotechnics. While these elements are not required for a stellar performance, her music was not unique enough to stand on its own.
Many artists add to their music by creating interesting instrumentation or connecting with their audience through monologues and speeches — Abrams did neither. Her popularity on social media was apparent as phones were whipped out for the popular bridges of her tracks, and crowds became quieter during less popular songs.
The end of her set brought a glimpse into her potential as a stand-out performer. Abrams shared with the audience just how far she’s come since performing at the festival in 2022, when she sang “Dancing on My Own.” As a full circle nod, Abrams performed that very song, but this time with its original artist, Robyn.
Abrams closed out her set with a mashup of “Dancing on My Own” and “Close to You,” a true testament to her journey as well as a glimpse at the performing potential she holds. Despite her exponentially growing popularity, Abrams is still early in her career and has time to fine-tune her performance skills.
