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In Manchester on March 7th, the love and magic that Abrams herself felt in the air was certainly a united feeling; there is something about her passion and her lyrical genius that truly begins to heal the brokenhearted. It was a performance that felt like a conversation, that felt like a love letter to her fans and supporters from across the world.
Her opening act, Dora Jar, has supported many huge musical artists before Abrams, but on this tour, it seemed different. The support and headline sets felt so interconnected that it didn’t feel like a show in two parts, but rather one continuous story of music, talent and passion simply exhibited and played through different people. The crowd adored every moment of Jar’s appearance, from the screams as she first came on stage to the sadness that is typical of endings. Overall, Jar’s performance was simply beautiful, and it set such a perfect tone for this leg of the tour itself; the room became both emotional and beautifully unified.
Then, as the anticipation for Abrams’ first appearance set in, the crowd was already singing along with the music playing through the speakers of the venue. Everyone from Olivia Rodrigo to Chappell Roan blasted through the venue, and the collective impromptu karaoke that the crowd began set the show up to be one to remember for a long time.
As the lights dimmed and the music stopped, Abrams’ long-term band began to step onto the stage in Manchester and everyone was ecstatic. Slowly, her song ‘Felt Good About You’ started and Abrams stood behind curtains of glitter in a dress exhibiting all that she and her music embody - sparkle, drama and elegance. Immediately, the crowd joined in and the room was incapacitated with such raw and intense reactions from every person in the arena. Then, donning her guitar, she emerged centre stage and played her viral hit ‘Risk’, a song encapsulating all it means to take that leap of faith for the person you love.
A wonderfully unique and personal trope of Abrams throughout the show began during this song as she crouched down to sing to and with her fans, learning how collective these experiences of heartbreak and loss that she writes about can be, and finding comfort in that. As the show progressed, this simple crouch became an admission of how much the tour means to her, how much we all mean to her, and a humble acceptance of the power of her music to reach people in ways that nothing else can.
During ‘Rockland’ she found a moment to sit beside her guitarist and really demonstrate this feeling to the crowd, one where her success and the size of the arena are put to one side and, as she said, it becomes a one-on-one between her and us. Much like the trend of wearing a bow to her shows, there is so much in everyday life that unites us all, and these are perfect examples of how she connects us all through music and fashion.
Towards the end of the show, Abrams performed on a second stage setup of her childhood bedroom, where so many of her first-ever songs were written and initially performed. Talking directly to her fans and accepting gifts and posters really gave the show that unique, particular feeling and just brought everyone together so much more. With one fan having a poster of Abram’s 2021 concert via the social platform Zoom, we were reminded of how far she has come and how much love has been generated as a direct result.
For Abrams, writing songs is easier than talking about problems that are often too intense for conversations. So it was evident that every lyric was felt from the bottom of her heart, and she granted us a great insight into this. Everyone felt something, everyone was given this cathartic chance to truly feel what it is that they often ignore, and that was a beautiful gift.
