Gracie Abrams
3Arena, Dublin
★★★★☆
Despite descending from Hollywood greatness, Gracie Abrams – daughter of the film-maker JJ Abrams – achieves a level of relatability and emotional candour with her lyrics that would convince even the grumpiest of cynics of her girl-next-door appeal. “Welcome to my bedroom,” the beaming 25-year-old tells the gaggle of young fans packed into 3Arena on Monday night, inviting them to transport themselves into her cosy haven.
This lamplit space served as the familiar backdrop to the pandemic Zoom gigs that began the singer’s journey towards fame. Re-created as a second stage at her Dublin show, the intimate setting softens Abrams, who appears at once angel and human in a long, blinding-white dress, peering out from behind her face-framing bob. Ever chatty and charming, she pulls out a Polaroid camera and starts taking photographs of the crowd.
Between gushing selfie-infused intermissions and fan interactions, Abrams holds her own on the stage, belting out the lyrics to heartbreak hits such as I Love You, I’m Sorry and I Told You Things.
Encompassing the modern definition of girlhood in the hyper-feminine, post-Barbie era of music, Abrams clearly has an allure that goes beyond fleeting TikTok trends. Her ribbon-wearing fans are loyal and true; the entire set is backed by the vocals of the theatre’s teenage contingent, who hang on to the singer’s every word.
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Demonstrating her skills as a multi-instrumentalist, Abrams easily switches from piano ballads to strumming her star-spangled guitar. Recent collaborations with Taylor Swift, who Abrams supported on the American leg of the Eras tour, have no doubt aided her rocket to fame.
Taking a leaf out of Swift’s book, Abrams makes an effort to cultivate close friendships with her fans in a way that makes it feel as if you’re all at a big sleepover together, swapping secrets and reading each other’s diaries. After one too many fan interactions you might begin to question the authenticity of it all.
This facade of friendship and magic doesn’t stop the Californian from rallying her fans with an uplifting message emphasising “the strength in community and the power that we all have when we come together” amid what she describes as a “frightening and dark” political landscape, before returning to the script.
With a grin and a glint in her eyes, Abrams croons the opening lines of Normal Thing, rumoured to be about her (on/off?) Irish beau, Paul Mescal. “It’s a normal thing to fall in love with movie stars.” The starlet is quickly dazzled by the bright lights of a fan project illuminating the 3Arena with the Tricolour.
Armed with only an acoustic guitar and her breathy vocals, Abrams knocks out any nepo-baby allegations and proves herself worthy of star status. She rounds out the show by delivering two bangers: the angsty chart-topper That’s So True and, in a sugary rendition, Close To You, finally swept away by a sea of bows bobbing up and down.
