Music Critic Simran Seera reviews the Manchester show of Gracie Abrams’ ‘The Secret of Us’ tour
Gracie Abrams’ popularity has skyrocketed over the last year, thanks to her global chart-topping song ‘That’s So True’ and her The Secret of Us tour, which celebrates her album of the same name. The tour has followed her through many cities, including Manchester, where her show was a cathartic bridge-screaming endeavour for all of the fans lucky enough to snag tickets.
The Secret of Us debuted at number 2 on the US billboard 200 when it was originally released in 2024. It was released at a pivotal moment in her career as during this time she was gaining fame as one of the opening acts on arguably the biggest tour of the year: Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’. As an album, it explores more melodic ballads like the popular single ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’, in addition to a rendition of her previously beloved single ‘I Miss You, I’m Sorry’ released in 2020. However, it also consists of many fast paced songs that act as her own “poetry sonnets” like ‘Risk’, ‘Close To You’, and even ‘Us’, which she originally sang live as a duet with Swift for the first time at ‘The Eras Tour’ in London, 2024.
But how was the album when it was performed live?
[‘Felt Good About You’] felt like the perfect way to start the concert and truly build the anticipation.
The concert began with Gracie stunning in a beautiful floor length silver gown when she first appeared and began with the song that begins the album: ‘Felt Good About You’. With deep notes reverberating against the fast tempo of the song, it felt like the perfect way to start the concert and truly build the anticipation. The perfect opener and, oh, how it left everyone feeling good! She continued with hits from this album like the upbeat ‘Tough Love’ – a twenty-year old’s anthem – her satisfying redress of events in ‘Blowing Smoke’ and her raw and vulnerable ‘Let It Happen’.
She paired these nicely with her smooth transitions into her ballads and even into her older songs and albums. She performed her hit songs ‘Where do we go now?’, ‘21’ and even ‘I Miss you, I’m Sorry’, in a separate centre stage moment where she paid homage to the beginning of her career. She did so by recreating the bedroom from which she recorded her first album and did Zoom performances from throughout the 2020 lockdown period. Her piano renditions of these songs stripped them back and made this moment in the show slightly slower.
a highlight of her performance […] was the surprise song ‘Block Me Out’
However, a highlight of her performance which kept the audience on their toes, even whilst the show became more intimate, was the surprise song ‘Block Me Out’ –the most demanded song by the Manchester audience. Here, she took a leaf from Swift’s book by including a surprise song element in every show, but she went one step further by catering each choice to the popular demand of each city.
Another thing to commend her on is her ability as a performer. A lot of artists can become too performative when appearing live and their interactions with the audience seem staged or forced, but this was not the case here. Throughout her songs she focused on her audience; she took the signs eager fans had made and took polaroid pictures and selfies with the crowd. But most importantly, she let the quiet moments in the middle of her set speak for themselves. In particular, her performance of ‘I Told You Things’ and ‘Free Now’ both held cathartic and personal experiences for every listener, exploring regret and also courage in different ways. These songs are almost contradictions of each other and yet they are an emotional rollercoaster in the same way. But that’s the album. That is The Secret of Us – it’s full of regret, courage, joy, impulsive acts, youth, naivety, love and everything else that is left behind – it is “walking contradictions”. It’s “hear[ing] the risk is drowning but [still taking it]”, but also “stop[ping] and play[ing] it safe”. It’s being “scared until [you’re made to] love it” because “that’s just the way life goes”.
She redecorates the album into a new listening experience, one that after hearing it live changes the way you hear each song by letting you make it yours and filling it with your experiences.
Abrams is completely aware that her album is slower, thought-provoking, emotional and not the typical head-banging, summer anthem that you would expect at a concert, but she never lets this be her limitation. Her voice, albeit soft, echoes in both the arena and in the lyrics themselves, and her higher notes and subtle changes to her songs are what truly make them hers. She redecorates the album into a new listening experience, one that after hearing it live changes the way you hear each song by letting you make it yours and filling it with your experiences. Her live guitar performances and her very talented band still create a concert experience that is upbeat and energetic, but they all do this without trying to be anything other than what the album actually is and what it represents. The album is reflective of so many experiences and moments in life, and her variety in song choice and tempo, instruments and set up, note changes and surprise songs, reflect that in a way that remains true to the album that the tour was ultimately made for.
Gracie Abrams: I think it’s safe to say that Manchester misses you, and we aren’t sorry.
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