For anyone who is a fan of sad girl music, Sunday night at The Echo Lounge & Music Hall in Dallas, Texas, was the place to be as Gracie Abrams embraced the crowd with her new debut album Good Riddance.
Lines wrapped around the building and parking lot as fans waited all day, and the smaller intimate setting was the perfect atmosphere to bring these scaled-back songs and bright production levels to life.
Before Abrams took the stage was Tiny Habits, a three-piece acoustic group from Boston. It was a nice calm beginning to the show before everyone got in their feels for the night. Serenading the crowd with only three voices and a guitar, it was a surprise how talented they were in the way they were harmonizing with each other effortlessly. The crowd felt their energy and cheered and held phone lights in the air to show support. It was also visibly noticeable that it felt like it was just three friends having a good time on stage; each member kept looking at each other and smiling, and at the end of the set, they all came together to solidify the moment with a genuine hug.
It was then Abrams’ turn to take to the stage, and she came out on an energetic opener with ‘Where do we go now?’ as blue lights flickered, and the crowd sang just as loud to match the energy. One thing that fans appreciate is the genuine connection that Abrams gave during her performances. Taking gifts from the crowd like multiple pride flags and cowboy hats, making monumental eye contact with as many people as possible through the set, and extended outros only seen at her shows are just a few prominent examples right off the bat.
The rest of the set bounced back and forth between energetic songs that made the crowd want to jump around and hit harder live than on record to slower emotional ones where many tears were released. Her new album talked about embracing change, and those inspirational songs could be used as a healing moment for whatever change any person in the crowd could be going through. Brief pauses were made to show appreciation to the crowd for the long wait to make a show in Dallas happen. It was also to celebrate that she will be back in Dallas the following week to open for the legendary Taylor Swift on her current The Eras Tour, which Abrams herself said she still refuses to believe until it officially happens.
It was refreshing to see the crowd know every song, from the older Abrams classics such as ’21’ and ‘Friend’ to some new ones that have only been out a month, such as ‘I know it won’t work’ and ‘Full machine.’ Most of the new album was played, but ending the set on ‘Right now’ felt perfect as everybody in the room echoed the lyrics “I feel like myself right now” along with Abrams’ emotional voice. If this is what the tour has been like this whole time, Abrams could be rising to new levels in her career, and this intimate night will be one to remember as the fanbase grows with her.
Highwire Magazine 