Four years ago, I watched Billie Eilish headline the 550 capacity Bluebird Theater in Denver Colorado, and it was easy to tell back then that she was on the brink of major success. Flash forward only one year, and she was selling out the infamous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It was hard not to have a sense of déjà vu watching Gracie Abrams command the crowd at her sold-out show at the same exact Denver venue on the second date of her “This Is What It Feels Like” tour this weekend.
Fans of all ages crammed to the very front of The Bluebird the moment that doors opened, and even though it was clear that they were all there to see Gracie make her debut headline appearance in Denver, they also watched with rapt attention when the opener, Alix Page took the stage. She was all smiles as she entertained the crowd with her Phoebe Bridgers-esque vocals and even a flawless folk-leaning cover of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag,” mentioning partway through her set that it was the biggest show she has ever played. It was clear by the end of her performance that Alix Page had made some fans for life.
And Gracie? She didn’t miss a single beat. From the moment that she stepped on stage, waving excitedly at the screaming crowd, she had every single person in the room wrapped around her finger. Moving with ease from keyboard to guitar, to standing in center stage, singing lead to a chorus of excited fans, Gracie Abrams was on her A-game – even when she found herself crawling on the the stage to get eye-level with fans. In fact, she probably spent the majority of the show sitting, knelling, or laying down on the stage to get as close as possible to those in the front row, mentioning that she has never understood why she has to be “so high up” compared to them. Throughout the night, she was taking fans’ phones and cameras to sing into them and taking constant selfies mid-song. The result was a show that made fans feel like they were part of it, as if they were just hanging out with their pal, Gracie.
By the end of her set, it was easy to tell that it would certainly be the last time that Gracie Abrams plays a venue the size of The Bluebird in Denver. In fact, with much of her tour already sold-out or dangerously close to it, it’ll likely be the smallest run she will ever play. (So if you were looking for a sign to get tickets, this is it.) Later this spring, Gracie will be hitting the road opening for Olivia Rodrigo on her Sour tour, where they’ll play two sold-out nights at Denver’s Mission Ballroom, and something tells me that by then, she could easily be able to headline the larger venue all on her own.
Tickets to the remaining dates of the “This Is What It Feels Like” tour and the “Sour” tour can be found HERE.