Gracie Abrams has had an incredible trajectory in the past 4 years. From the release of her debut EP “minor” (2020), to the project “This Is What It Feels Like” (2021) and her debut album “Good Riddance” (2023), she has gone from strength to strength and cultivated this passionate fanbase who relate to every lyric she sings. Her debut Australian tour sold out in minutes with venue upgrades and second shows added to try meet the demand, but Australia still wanted more. 

As doors were opening at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, the Entertainment Quarter was packed with bows in people’s hair, and singalongs of Gracie’s songs as well as Taylor Swift erupting. The anticipation to see the 24 year old Californian was at an all-time high. 

New York trio Tiny Habits were on opening duties, and they graced the at-capacity crowd with a soothing 30 minute set of folk-pop songs built around just an acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies. You found yourself captivated and in awe for the whole duration as they hooked you with their vulnerable storytelling and candid intimacy. Covers of “Matilda” from Harry Styles, and “Somewhere On We Know” were stunning, but the standout moment was an unreleased original called “Wishes”, with the haunting lyrics, “I wish I didn’t feel like a burden all the time”. As they finished you immediately were left wanting more, and quickly made themselves a lot of new fans throughout that set. 

As the lights dimmed and a spoken-word intro played over the speakers, the deafening screams of the excited crowd amplified around the venue as Gracie Abrams took centre stage for show opener “Where Do We Go Now?”. Exclaiming her excitement to be finally in Sydney and seeing the faces of the sold out crowd, she thanked everyone for coming out and being so patient waiting for her to get to Australia. She glided straight into fan favourites like “21”, “Block Me Out”, “I Should Hate You” and “Friend” which ignited the loud singalongs. Every person knew every single word to every song, and it felt so exciting to see the sold-out crowd create a safe space for each other to come together so vulnerably. While she was performing “Amelie” she paused the show as she noticed someone passed out in the crowd. From there the show was stop-start due to a few medical emergencies but Gracie handled it with such delicacy and made sure everyone knew the safety of the crowd was her number one priority. 

“Camden” saw some technical difficulties plague the production with feedback ringing in her in-ears, so she stripped it back to just acoustic guitar and got the crowd to scream the bridge with her. She rewarded the crowd with an acoustic performance of the fan-favourite unreleased track “In Between”, which she promised to record and release. 

As she headed into the final moments of the show, the singalongs got even louder with “Mess It Up”, “minor”, “I Miss You, I’m Sorry”, and “Right Now” rounding out the set. Even with the show at full capacity, it still felt intimate as Gracie was genuinely connecting with people in the crowd and waving out and pointing at people. The stand-out highlights of the show were when she played guitar and piano, and we can’t go pass her flawless vocal delivery. It’s going to be interesting to see how she grows the show as she begins to play bigger venues and how she still finds ways to create those intimate moments.

Gracie Abrams is a star, and when she’s back next she will be headlining arenas, and after seeing this show and her connection with her fans then you know she deserves it.