Gracie Abrams at Forum Melbourne
Photo Credit: Lauren Tepfer
Playing her very first shows in Australia, US artist Gracie Abrams sold out two headline dates at the Forum – one of Melbourne’s favourite venues. Delivering an emotionally charged and intimate performance that left the audience screaming for more, the young singer-songwriter, known for her honest and vulnerable lyrics, connected with the crowd through a setlist that showcased her impressive vocal range and storytelling prowess. With the Forum appearing as full as we’ve ever seen it, hair bows all around were as far as the eye could see, as the crowd settled in for a night of raw emotion.
Folk-pop trio Tiny Habits were on support duties; coming out on stage wearing their very own Gracie merch. Opening with track tiny things from their debut EP of the same name, the trio expressed their love for our city, promising to come back, before launching into hemenway. A set highlight was their cover of Harry Styles’ Matilda, which had the audience screaming along to every word, before the three got a little vulnerable with wishes. Asking the audience if they wanted to boogie, the equally sad but upbeat pennies started drawing the set to a close. Wrapping up with a second cover, Tiny Habits ended on a high with Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know – which perfectly complimented their beautifully overlaid vocals and delicate guitar work. With the audience well and truly warmed up at this point, we’re keen to see where the future takes the trio.
In the lead-up to Gracie’s set, the crowds wasted no time warming up their singing voices; joining in on a mass singalong, which was easily the loudest we’d heard at the Forum. The lights dim and Gracie Abrams and her band walk onstage to thundering screams, before starting off with Where Do We Go Now? and This Is What the Drugs Are For from debut album Good Riddance – all while waving to individual people in the crowd. Without a doubt, all members of the audience knew every word to every song – showing the fanbase’s admiration and dedication.
21 and I Should Hate You saw Abrams grabbing her guitar and playing along with her band, before addressing the audience. Thanking the audience for making her feel at home, Abrams took a minute to mourn the show being the second last of her Good Riddance tour, before acknowledging everyone singing a ‘duet’ with her. Heading over to the piano, older track Friend, I Know It Won’t Work and Full Machine slowed down the pace, before the set crescendoed with Amelie. Despite her battling off sickness and having to adjust her setlist to preserve her vocals, Gracie cut no corners when it came to requests from the audience – playing fan fave Long Sleeves.
The show was really about the fans during Difficult and Camden, as Abrams took her pick from the cameras and phones being thrust at her to snap a cheeky pic or two. Taking a moment to speak to everyone once again, tells her fans ‘this song has somehow become part of the setlist because of you…you make me feel at home and calm my nerves’, before moving on to the much requested In Between. The song that ‘hurt to write’, Best follows up, and sees the crowd shouting along to its powerful bridge. The set only goes up from here, with hits Feels Like and Mess It Up – with Abrams taking a break in between songs to try her very first Milo bar, as well as accept a bracelet from a fan.
Another request from the crowd is Better, before a shortened version of Minor, which leads into her biggest hit I Miss You, I’m Sorry; the Forum completely lit up by a sea of phones. The show has built up and up until this moment – with final track Right Now bringing the set to a a roaring close – which would’ve been the case if there wasn’t a mic drop out. Owing to the minor technical difficulty, Gracie turns to the audience; ‘this is normally the end of our show…not today’. Picking another request from a fan’s sign, she leads her band into a stripped-back version of the haunting 405 – much to everyone’s delight.
Based on that night’s performance, it was clear that Gracie Abrams has such an intense ability to connect with her audience on such a personal level – making it one of the most intimate, resonating shows we’ve seen at the Forum. Going off how much Gracie said she loved our city and country, we’re sure we’ll see her back here sometime soon.