The Secrets Behind Gracie Abrams" World Tour
Gracie Abrams has taken her record-setting album "The Secret Of Us" on tour and we"re giving you an inside look.
by Chloe Rudnick ★ NOVEMBER 18, 2024
Design: Chloe Rudnick
June 21, 2024 was a big day for many Gracie Abrams fans, myself included. In sweatpants and a graphic tee shirt, accompanied by her mother and brother, there she was standing right in front of me at LAX airport. Everyone says don’t meet your idol, but I did, and it was everything I could have dreamed of and more. Coincidentally, I ran into her on the day her second studio album "The Secret of Us" was released. I won’t bore you with the details: how she sent me VIP tickets to a show the following week, or where she was going (to be brought out by Taylor Swift as a surprise guest on The Era’s Tour in London, naturally). But, what I will say is she was one of the most sincere, real, genuine people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting—a direct reflection of what this new album and tour is.
Composed of 13 songs, "The Secret Of Us" is 47 minutes and 39 seconds of sheer songwriting brilliance. What she described to be,“the result of feeling very big feelings in a very short amount of time.” The record immediately topped the charts and in just a week, she had a number-one album in the UK (where she will be heading in March to play in the O2 arena), a number two on Billboard, and her first top 50 song. Now, she’s finished with the American leg of her biggest tour yet, having played, and sold out, venues she only ever dreamed of. For example, three shows in her hometown at The Greek Theatre, the same place she witnessed her idols performing throughout her childhood. Or, the iconic Radio City Music Hall where she initially scheduled one show, but due to overwhelming demand added a second and third. When she was faced with the decision of upsizing to an arena, none other than Madison Square Garden of course, she ultimately decided to add additional shows at Radio City, to “not skip any steps” in her career, she said.
Kicking off in Portland, Oregon on September 5, accompanied by her opening act Role Model, Gracie debuted the new album bringing to life what people had only ever heard through the phone. The show consists of 22 songs: all 13 tracks on "The Secret Of Us", seven from projects over the years (like "Mess It Up" or "I miss you, I’m sorry"), and one surprise song, which fans are deeming to be an ode to Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour surprise set. She opened with the first song on "The Secret Of Us", "Felt Good About You" singing behind a semi-transparent screen where only her silhouette was visible. Then, walking on stage accompanied by her guitar playing her lead single "Risk", everyone says goodbye to their seats and hello to their feet for the remainder of the show. From there, you have a little bit of everything. More jump-up and down guitar hits, cry and scream about your ex piano ballads for breaks in jumping, and long-awaited TikTok viral bridges, like my personal favorite, in "I love you, I’m sorry." Further proving her reign, Gracie earns her crown as the bridge-writing queen. She ends the show with the last track on the album "Free Now" with her electric guitar, charging the audience up for the encore: a solo version of her collaboration "us." with Taylor Swift, and "Close To You", pausing in the middle of the song to express her thanks and say goodbye to the audience.
Speaking of Taylor Swift, Gracie wrapped up her North American leg of the tour on October 14 in New York, leaving her just three days to re-join Swift as a solo opener on her final leg of The Era’s Tour. This is special to her, as Abrams mentioned in an interview with Zane Lowe that she “created this album with the Era’s audience in mind.” In 2023, she was one of three openers for Swift, where she performed her previous album "Good Riddance"- a very introverted, quiet record. She derived inspiration from the massive stadium audiences, and decided to create something “worthy of the audience to scream.” That she did. I attended the tour myself, at Radio City, and can confirm I was surprised to see how hard it was to hear her over the crowd, as was she-and apparently, everyone else. As I was waiting in the bathroom line, a security guard who has been working at Radio City for 18 years said “Gracie’s crowd was one of, if not, the loudest and most dedicated crowd I’ve ever seen.” The dedication didn’t just stop at their voices. The audience dress code was specific—yellow, lace, and bows being three of the very necessary things. As for Gracie, she is nailing the concept of a “costume-less” tour. Switching between long silk dresses, jeans and cargo pants, long skirts with vintage designer tops, or bra/skirt sets, she left everyone wondering the same thing: how can we dress more like Gracie? I think we can all agree that the most important part of any outfit is what’s on your face, and I can confirm that I have never seen more mascara-drenched faces leaving a venue at once. So, if you’re wondering what to wear to the next leg of the The Secret Of Us tour, if not waterproof, mascara is something you may want to consider doing without.
From fan light projects, to proving they knew the album front to back by singing the background vocals in each song, to “I love yous” in any short break between songs, it was evident that everyone was just excited to be in the audience as she was to be on stage. Her unique ability to take an audience of thousands and make you feel like you’re the passenger in a post-breakup car ride, with the windows down and her at the wheel is rare. She takes the “celebrity” title off her back and performs with the sincerity of a close friend. And that, I think, is the big secret.