Grace Ives: The Girlfriend Tour. Electric and Intimate.
5.12.25 - Houston, TX
When I like an album, especially a new release, I immediately become curious about how it’ll translate onto a live stage. The stage set up, the lighting, and the execution of the tracks from their studio versions to being performed live. An albums studio and live versions can at times be rigidly similar to drastically different, and it’s something I find fascinating. After hearing Girlfriend by Grace Ives for the first time, my mind was whirling at the thought of witnessing how the world it transports you to would come together in person.
Girlfriend is an indie synth-pop dream of an album that takes you into Ives' world and headspace, a culmination of personal realizations and given its title due to it being both what Ives is, but also its temporary nature. The album is confessional, relatable, and as catchy as it is powerful. My enjoyment of the record surmounted into a deep excitement as the day of her concert approached. I attended the Girlfriend Tour stop held in the upstairs room of White Oak Music Hall, and it wasn’t until later that night that I’d come to know the magic that this quaint room would hold.
The moment Grace takes the stage, the change of energy in the room is tangible. The opening track “Avalanche” sets the tone for the show. As Grace sings she commands the stage, she works every side of it and jumps to the beat joyously, making said stage her dancefloor. She’s bubbly and in her element, you can’t help but look at her as she goes this way and that whilst singing, having the room in the palm of her hand.
There’s a particular intimacy to the show. Grace gets close to fans in the front row and sings along with them throughout the show's entirety, even stepping down on a platform that’s center stage to get even closer at times. The energy feels reciprocal, as Grace gets energetic the crowd replies tenfold. When things take a somber tone during “Drink Up”, the crowd stands still as we witness Grace behind a piano for the first time that night. Grace’s transition between piano to center stage is seamless throughout the show. Wearing multiple hats is a common theme, with John Debold (who worked with Ives to produce the album) also going between keys and bass when certain songs call for it. On drums is Mikee Colet, and she keeps every moment grounded flawlessly via percussion.
After the fifth song “Trouble” is performed the crowd ignites with a fervent level of applause and cheers, it sinks in to me that I’m witnessing something very special. The nature of the show is liberating, with fans dancing freely in the crowd and singing right back to Grace herself when she comes close. The venue had become filled with appreciation and gratitude from both fans and the artist herself, with Ives’ seeming surprised and grateful for the turnout at the show. During a talking break, she recounts the staff telling her the show would be intimate and cool due to the nature of the venue, and that sums the night up perfectly. There’s a charm to the show, seeing someone have so much fun doing what they’re doing is infectious.
Grace dancing makes you want to dance, Grace laughing as she sings makes you want to smile, and above all she commands attention through it all. The band are all smiles during certain moments together as well, the joy shared between them being apparent. The show turned the little upstairs room of the White Oak into a dance floor, it was transcendent and captivating from start to finish. It’s not every concert that you can feel the love from both on stage and in the crowd, but with this one it was palpable.
The freeness of the night culminates during the encore “Stupid Bitches”, and it feels like a victory lap. There’s something cathartic in the shared moment of Grace singing doesn’t hurt me anymore, and the crowd yelling it right back to her. In an interview in conversation with Hunter Schafer for Interview Magazine, Ives stated “We need to come together,” she previously felt disconnected from her audience and wanted to focus on connecting this tour. It’s evident from my night attending her show that she met that goal and then some. There are certain shows that make you remember the beauty of live music, and this was certainly one of them for me.
