January 20, 2023

Hordern Pavilion  January 18, 2023

Reviewed by Andrew Isaacson

Performing in Sydney felt like a “dream” for Gracie Abrams, who played in front of a sold out Hordern Pavillion on Jan. 18. She even asked the audience multiple times if anyone had a spare room so she could stay and never leave. 

The American singer/songwriter is making her debut in the Down Under, by bringing her Good Riddance Tour to Australia. She played one more show Friday night in Sydney and is now heading to Melbourne for two more performances. 

The rising star began releasing music in 2019 and released her first album “Good Riddance” last year which made it on the Billboard 200. Abrams’ hit single “I Know It Won’t Work” made it all the way up to 32 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart. 

Abrams has performed as an opener for Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour, which has become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. 

It’s amazing to see how popular Abrams has become overseas in such a short period and the energy from the crowd. The concert itself was fantastic and the audience welcomed her with loud screams and gifts throughout the evening.

She performed many of her hits including “I Miss You, I’m Sorry,” “Feels Like” and “I Know It Won’t Work.”  

But what truly stood out to me about Abrams was the genuine care she showed towards the audience. There were multiple instances during the show where fans passed out and she paused the show to make sure security could find the individuals who needed help. 

Abrams even had the event staff pass out water to keep everyone hydrated and understands that it could get extremely hot with many individuals crowded around each other. 

She provided Sydney with a spectacular show and made her fans the priority throughout the night. Despite her guitar not working during “Camden,” she still continued to perform the song in an acoustic version of it.  

Tiny Habits, a new folk-pop group that formed back in 2022 in Boston, opened the show for Abrams. They had previously attended one of Abrams’ shows in Boston and told the crowd how special it was to be performing before her in Sydney. 

Overall it was another spectacular performance in Sydney and quite a first visit to Sydney for Abrams. Many more concerts Down Under to come in the future.