Live Review
The singer-songwriter’s show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom celebrated her new album, Daughter From Hell — and how far she has come
It’s a humid summer night in New York and the entirety of Bowery Ballroom — all 500 or so attendees — are harmonizing with Gracie Abrams. “I really want you guys to be on the song,” the singer-songwriter says, just before she records the crowd’s sustained hum with a multi-track loop machine. Abrams pairs the sound with her own pitch-perfect voice to create an impromptu backing track for the live debut of her new song “Humming.” The effect makes her eyes light up. “That’s special,” she says, “Our first duet together.”
The moment isn’t the only special thing about the night. In a lot of ways, Abrams’ underplay show at the storied club, billed as a free evening with the star, was more than just a celebration of her new album Daughter From Hell or practice for her upcoming tour. It was a hard-earned homecoming that shows just how far she’s come in a few short years.
Back in 2022, when she had only released a couple of EPs, the singer-songwriter played the Bowery Ballroom, marking a bucket-list moment and one of her biggest shows of her burgeoning career. It was Valentine’s Day, and videos from the performance show the then-22-year-old rocking a headband with heart decals to match fans in the front row; Abrams even took their cellphones and recorded front-facing videos of herself singing onstage.
