Gracie Abrams Spills The Secret Of Us In Toronto At Her Sold-Out Show

By Kayla Harper

Singer/songwriter Gracie Abrams is one of the biggest names in modern pop music and is currently on the last leg of her The Secret Of Us tour in support of her most recent album of the same name.  The last leg titled, The Secret Of Us Deluxe tour is the first time that this specific tour of Abrams’s has been brought to Canada with a single sold-out show at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto on July 26.

The Secret Of Us Deluxe tour is also the last show Abrams will play for a while as it’s the first time in nearly five years that the singer has no foreseeable tour plans in sight.  However, Abrams specified during her time in Toronto that she was not “pulling a Harry [Styles]” -that is disappearing completely after the biggest tour/year of her career- she clarifies, “it’s just that I need to make the next album and then I’ll come back” (Abrams, The Secret Of Us Deluxe Tour Toronto 2025).

 

ABRAMS BEST SHOW YET 

Unreleased songs, barricade walks, b-stages, confetti and stunning visuals–Abrams went all out for the final ten shows.  Since the shows will take place across a variety of venues on this tour, from arenas like the famous Madison Square Garden in New York to amphitheaters like the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, the format and set design varies slightly for each show, however, the general structure is the same.

By 6:00 pm on July 26, the Budweiser Stage is bustling with fans creating a sea of yellow, pink and blue, endless hairbows in sight, lined up in the pouring rain waiting to be let in to see their favourite artist.  To pass the time, many are trading bracelets, exchanging their dream surprise songs and deciding what merch they’ll buy.

At this point, I had used every outlet possible to ask Abrams to play my favourite song of hers, “Best”, at the show, from dm’s to posts to leaving a message for her at the pop-up shop exhibit and later on, screaming it at the show.  I was also unaware of the setlist going in blind for the ultimate experience.

After securing merch we found our seats, excited to learn that the view was even better than anticipated.  Abrams’s dedicated fans quickly filled the room as the lights went out for DJO.  DJO played an energetic set, getting the crowd ready for Abrams.  Despite only being a casual fan, I found his set entertaining and I liked his music a lot better live. He only played four songs, two of which I knew previously – “Gap Tooth Smile” and “End Of Beginning” -he gave the drummer a moment to shine with a nearly five minute long drum solo which was sick!

Fans continued to mingle until Abrams’s set which would begin promptly at 8:45 pm.  Of course fans knew immediately when Lorde’s “Supercut” started playing that Abrams would be next after Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” flowed into the intro of the show.

Abrams opened the show with The Secret Of Us’s quirky and delusional lead single “Risk”.  The setlist flowed wonderfully between the upbeat songs and the slower ones. With the exception of Abrams’s second EP, This Is What It Feels Like, the setlist was a diverse range across her discography pulling songs from her first EP Minor: “21”, “Friend” and “I miss you, I’m sorry” as well as her debut album Good Riddance:  “Full machine”, “Where do we go now?” and “Right now” and of course her latest album The Secret Of Us: “Risk”, “Blowing Smoke”, “I Love You, I’m Sorry”, “Normal Thing”, “Packing It Up”,  “I Told You Things”, “Let It Happen”,  “Tough Love”, “Cool”, “Free Now”, “Us.” and “That’s So True” and “Close To You” for encore.

In between she played the popular 2021 single, “Mess It Up” and two unreleased songs “Death Wish” and “Out Of Nowhere” as well as the surprise song, “Best” -which I am still hysterical about, tears were shed, what is life? I feel so lucky-.

Abrams’s phenomenal stage presence is a result of her effort to connect with the crowd and make them feel like they are a part of the show.  From reading entries out of her journal, to taking selfies on people’s phones while performing, walking through the crowd and performing “Free Now” and “Right now” in the middle of the crowd, even the fans in the lawn at the very back of the venue felt seen.

From a super-fan of Abrams basically since she started releasing music, I cried hysterically almost the whole show while scream-singing…I don’t think you could even call it singing, that would be an offence to people who actually sing.  I’ve also always held the opinion that Abrams is even better live than in the studio and seeing her live in person only validated that.  She performs with so much emotion it’s evident she is not only passionate about performing and music, but that she means the words she writes.

Standout performances for this include “Full Machine”,  “Death Wish”, “Where do we go now?”, “Normal Thing”, “I miss you, I’m sorry” and “Right now”.  “I Told You Things” was among the best performances of the night.  The way Abrams stared into the camera as she sang the devastatingly honest lyrics brought the audience into the song.  It was angry, dramatic and a ten out of ten performance.

Despite Abrams announcing the surprise song as one she wasn’t sure we’d know, the Toronto crowd erupted at the first lyrics of “Best”, singing (or in my case sobbing) every word loudly!  It was a truly surreal moment to hear my favourite Abrams song live, especially considering it wasn’t on the setlist and there was a slim chance that it would be the song she picked to play out of all the songs in her discography.  It still feels unreal, like a dream that never actually happened…except it did!

My other two favourite songs are “Let It Happen” –which I assumed she would play and it was incredible– and “Right now” which I was unsure of since it hadn’t been on previous setlists since the Good Riddance tour.   Abrams played “Right now” in the middle of the crowd after walking through it (and right past me tehe) forgetting the words in the first verse when she became so captivated by the crowd.

After a breathtaking performance of “Us.” Abrams returned to the stage for the encore, playing “That’s So True” and “Close To You”.  “Close To You” was one of the most fun moments of the night as it’s one of those songs you can’t help, but dance to, especially when every excited fan around you is jumping up and down, singing their hearts out as the confetti goes off around them.

ENTER GRACIE-LAND

The concert was obviously the main event and highlight of the weekend, however, Abrams and her team made sure there was lots going on in Toronto for fans including a pop-up shop and aftershow debrief event.

The Secret Of Us pop-up shop was a free fan event presented by American Express and Abrams’s team featuring merchandise exclusive to the event and city, free matcha and pastries, as well as various activities.   Fans who attended the event got to enter “Gracie-land” with fun props everywhere, they posed in front of huge displays of the album artwork and  two of Abrams’s guitars, while enjoying complimentary matcha and snacks in the various seating areas.  Additionally there was a photobooth station and a poet who wrote custom poems for fans based on their favourite song or lyrics.  Fans could leave a message for Gracie on a vintage rotary phone and pick up a book from her personal library featuring her favourite female authors.

Of course I had to attend the event all three days, taking part in all the different activities.  The amount of detail put into designing the space was insane –even the counter was in the shape of Abrams’s name– and of course they played The Secret Of Us (Deluxe) on repeat.  From the artifacts, to the intricate blue and yellow decorations and music the atmosphere was incredible and very on-brand –the bags and cups the food were served were even branded to Abrams’s The Secret Of Us aesthetic.

The merch at the pop-up event was much cuter than the merch at the actual concert, featuring multiple t-shirt designs, a sweatshirt, and hoodie with a design exclusive to the Toronto pop-up shop.  Additionally there were accessories like a mug, hat, stickers, bookmark, a Toronto-exclusive tote bag and of course records!

 

MORNING DEBRIEF

If the pop-up shop and concert wasn’t enough, Abrams and her team have carried on the tradition of morning debriefs after each show.  They partner up with a local coffee shop in each city to provide fans with a place to debrief the show from the night before.  Each city has a specialized Gracie-themed drink and hands out a limited quantity of The Secret Of Us stickers, pins and notepads.

Despite being among the first fifty people in line, the notebooks were unfortunately gone by the time my group made it to the counter, however we did get the stickers and pins.  The specialized drink for Toronto was an Earl Gracie Matcha -an earl grey matcha with vanilla cold foam.

Served at the Butter & Blue cafe which couldn’t have been a more perfect location considering it was a yellow building with navy blue trim.  There were lots of Gracie-themed chalk designs on the patio outside which was fun to admire while fans waited in line, decked out in their merch from the night before.

FROM BEDROOM SHOWS TO ARENAS

Abrams has come a long way from the Minor bedroom shows and even the first tours she played to small rooms with only a couple hundred, sometimes thousand person capacity.  However, she still knows how to make a large room of 16 000 fans feel intimate and personal, as if she’s singing right to you -she’s constantly engaging, interacting and responding to the crowd.   Her vulnerable vocals shine even more live, with added note changes and adlibs that elevate the performance.   Her setlist for this tour was especially good, with a little bit of everything from Minor to The Secret Of Us, and then some.

Aside from the concert, Abrams truly makes an effort to connect her fans and make them feel like they are a part of something.  The amount of detail put into the pop-shop was incredible especially considering it was free to attend and take part in all the activities and fans could enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages.  Even the outside of the building was decorated and fans were given fans and water while they waited in line to stay cool.

The morning debriefs provide another opportunity for fans to connect and bond over the music they love.  Offering one final moment to indulge in the amazing atmosphere Abrams creates for her fans at her shows.

 

Authors Note: 

Thanks so much for reading!! I am still processing all the excitement of last weekend so, I’m sorry the article was a couple days late.  I’m also working on updating the scrapbook portion of the site, however, I’m trying to find a way to upload the photos so that the site doesn’t lower the quality of them, so it may take a couple days.  All of the concert videos will also be posted across our TikTok, Instagram and Youtube over the next couple of weeks (all @offtherecordmusicblog) so stay tuned for that!

 

-Kayla <3