Gracie Abrams proves she's close to you, Boston

Concert reviews

“Being here with all of you feels like being home,” Abrams, donning a Boston Red Sox cap, told the sold-out crowd at MGM Music Hall in Fenway. “New England is home.”

After a difficult start to the week in which a vocal injury forced her to postpone performances in New York and Philadelphia, Gracie Abrams found solace — and her voice again — in Boston.

At Wednesday's sold-out show at MGM Music Hall in Fenway, the 25-year-old pop singer honestly didn't need her voice, considering how loudly her fans were screaming almost every lyric.

Still, there was no question that her microphone was on.

From the sultry, haunting vocals of songs like “I Miss You, I'm Sorry” and “Good Luck Charlie” to tracks with more intensity like “Risk” and “Blowing Smoke,” Abrams wasn't afraid to showcase his strength and control over their voice.

A kinship with New England

“Being here with all of you feels like home,” she said, donning a Boston Red Sox cap. “New England is home.”

Although she was born and raised in Los Angeles – the daughter of filmmaker JJ Abrams and former political consultant Katie McGrath – Abrams has felt a connection to New England since childhood. She said her family often traveled to Boston and then drove to Maine, where relatives on her mother's side live.

“Not only was Boston a hugely important place in my life, just growing up, family and everything, but some of my favorite shows we've ever played were here,” she said.

The singer-songwriter has had quite the year so far, with highlights including a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist; the release of their second album “The Secret of Us” in June; and performing “Everywhere, Everything” with special guest Noah Kahan at one of his sold-out Fenway Park shows in July. The latter included a livestream for even more viewers than the park could accommodate, and their performance also made it onto his album Live from Fenway Park.

Abrams described the Fenway experience as “one of the greatest moments of my life,” adding that she believes Kahan is “the beating heart of New England.”

The setlist for this tour was identical from show to show, with the exception of one unreleased song and one surprise song at each stop. In Boston these were “That’s So True” and “Augusta”, respectively.

“I've been mentioning Boston in my songs for a long time,” Abrams said before taking to the keys to perform “Augusta,” with the opening line, “Feel like might I might go to Boston.”

Despite the sad-girlish nature of many of her songs, Abrams kept the energy high, moving from guitar to microphone to keyboard, filling every area of ​​the stage and interacting with fans at every turn. She also had four backing band members who provided keys, guitar, bass and drums.

Abrams invited her opener Role Model — a Maine native known for recent hits like “Look at that Woman” and “Deeply Still in Love” — back on stage toward the end of the show to perform “Feels Like” with her sing.

After expressing her love and gratitude to the singer, whose real name is Tucker Pillsbury, Abrams presented him with a crown and flowers and called him the “Sexiest Man on Tour.” (In case you missed it, Pillsbury actively campaigned to be named People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive.”)

Outstanding moments

Although one of their top tracks, “I Love You, I'm Sorry,” seemed to get the crowd going at full speed, it was “Tough Love” and “Close to You” that struck a chord with Boston fans.

“This song is for you,” Abrams said as she began singing “Tough Love.” Images of Boston trains raced on the screen behind her to the opening text: “I took a train to Boston and wanted to cry.”

As she concluded her encore with “Close to You,” Abrams thanked the audience again and said, “I love you from the bottom of my heart. This time together means more to me than I could ever tell you. This song in particular wouldn’t exist without you and I’ve waited seven years to sing it with you.”

Abrams, whose latest album features a collaboration with Taylor Swift, opened for Swift dozens of times on the Eras Tour and will return for more dates this fall.

Setlist for Gracie Abrams at MGM Music Hall in Fenway, October 9, 2024

• Feel Good About You (performed from offstage)
• risk
• Blows smoke
• 21
• I love you, I'm sorry
• Where are we going now?
• I gave you, I gave you
• Screw it
• That's So True (unreleased song)
• Augusta (surprise song)
• Good luck, Charlie
• I knew it, I know you
• I know it won't work
• Friend
• Normal thing
• Feels (with example)
• Tough love
• Let it happen
• I miss you, I'm sorry
• Now free

Encore

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Heather Alterisio

Senior Content Producer

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Heather Alterisio, a senior content producer, joined Boston.com in 2022 after spending more than five years as a general assignment reporter at newspapers in Massachusetts.

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