Gracie Abrams covered Lorde's song Liberty at her Spark Arena concert on Tuesday. Video / Dan Boyd
Review by Dan Boyd
Gracie Abrams headlined her own sold-out concert at Spark Arena, stepping out of Taylor Swift’s shadow.
Abrams engaged the audience with her performance and personal interactions, showcasing her ability to connect.
Opening act Ashe impressed with her stage presence, hinting at a promising solo career ahead.
From praising NZ’s Lorde, to revealing the Kiwi prank she fell for, Gracie Abrams sure knew how to impress the crowd at her Auckland sell-out show last night.
As the opener for many of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts, Abrams is used to performing for large audiences, but not having the spotlight solely on her. Imagine night after night walking out on to stages to sing for crowds of up to 100,000 people who were ultimately there to see someone else.
Last night she headlined her own sold-out concert at Spark Arena, and she was most definitely the star. Her young audience came adorned with Abrams’ signature hair bows – a sign of fandom, friendship and connection.
And connection with the audience is something Abrams does incredibly well. A highlight of the night was her cover of Lorde’s song Liberty. Before she started to sing it, she paid tribute to the New Zealand artist, saying that while Lorde couldn’t be here tonight, it was so good to see her hit No 1 with her new single What Was That, released on Friday.
She went on to call Lorde the best songwriter in the world, and that we are so lucky to call her ours.
What a way to win over a Kiwi crowd.
A screengrab from Lorde's new video What Was That, filmed in New York.
Abrams is also good at giving opportunities to up and coming talent - no doubt because of the helping hand she had from touring with Taylor Swift.
Ashe was the opening act last night for Abrams. Walking into the stadium halfway through a song, with everyone singing and waving their phone lights, it certainly made you wonder – if this was what the crowd was like for the warm-up, what would it be like for Abrams?
And deservedly so. Ashe was amazing. Her stage presence had you on the edge of your seat, as she moved barefoot across the stage like a ballerina, and with a smooth, graceful and powerful voice. If Swift’s tour gave Abrams a bump, then perhaps Abrams will do the same for Ashe.
For Abrams, it must be all very tricky to navigate. Some commentators have called her a nepo-baby, that she has had everything handed to her on a plate. Her father is JJ Abrams, of Star Wars and Lost fame, and her mother is Katie McGrath, a Hollywood movie star, so you could say she had every leg up.
In a recent article in Rolling Stone, Abrams discussed how she has dealt with being called a nepo-baby.
“I know how hard I work, and I know how separate I’ve kept my parents from every conversation about anything careerwise, but of course, you can understand what it looks like from the outside.”
Gracie Abrams, right, performs Us with Taylor Swift in Toronto as part of Swift's Eras Tour. Photo / Getty Images
I can’t imagine much of the young audience at Spark Arena would know who JJ Abrams is, and they probably haven’t seen Star Wars. And famous parents can’t sell out your concerts on the other side of the world for you. (That includes three sold-out shows coming up at Sydney’s Olympic Park.) So, going from last night’s audience and ticket sales alone, Abrams has stepped outside her parents’ shadows, for sure.
However, the Taylor Swift shadow might be harder to shake, with her exposure to literally millions of Swifties who were ready and waiting to hear whatever Abrams had. Now close friends, Abrams and Swift have even found time to co-write and record the song Us, the lyrics of which would later provide the title for Abrams’ second album, The Secret Of Us, that earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance earlier this year.
On the road with Swift, Abrams was not only learning from one of her besties, but from the best in the business. Swift is a marketing machine and knows how to engage her fans throughout her hours-long concerts. It’s certainly rubbed off on Abrams, who was always finding a way to connect with her audience while on stage last night. Numerous times fans would offer their phone and Abrams would take a selfie while still singing.
But Abrams was also engaging with her audience long before these concerts, as she talked about last night. She performed I miss you, I’m sorry from a stage set recreating her bedroom at home. During Covid, Abrams had held concerts over Zoom, with 100-people audiences, allowing them to connect personally.
She also took plenty of opportunity to speak to her audience, even telling them that she’d been told Kiwis have the saying “kick them in the d***”. When she realised that she’d been pranked, the crowd broke into singing “Tūtira mai ngā iwi” – perhaps a way to change the subject, but most significantly, to show a sign of respect and unity for the singer. It appears to be a thing at concerts now, with audiences singing the well-known waiata for the Harry Styles and The 1975 concerts in 2023.
The Spark Arena crowd sang Tūtira Mai Nga Iwi for US star Gracie Abrams during her show. Photo / Dan Boyd
The energy of the show never stopped from the opening number of Felt Good About You. The audience was loving every moment and singing passionately along with Abrams, knowing every lyric and word. There were a couple of slower numbers but even then, the young audience was engaged and amped; many of them might have been Abrams fans for a good part of their life.
As Abrams sang her last song, Close to You, the packed Spark Arena jumped and sang in unison. There was no need for a standing ovation, as there was no sitting down during the entire show, just rapturous applause and screams.
Only time will tell if the Taylor Shift shadow has completely gone, but there’s certainly enough spotlight to go around. Abrams has definitely and deservedly stepped into it, and last night the crowd was now calling her name loud and clear.
