Grace Ives brought The Girlfriend Tour to Nashville’s Blue Room for a transcendental night of pure pop joy. On Friday night, folks from Nashville and far beyond trickled into the iconic venue tucked just outside of downtown, a lively stream of chatter sweeping into the room before settling down for the opener, Hollis Howard. Gorgeous synth melodies and the occasional, hilarious sound effect expertly prepare the room for Ives’ set. The lights dim, and the crowd pushes forward, everyone in the room clamoring towards the stage to get a little bit closer to the action. The first notes of the first song, “Avalanche,” push through the speakers with pink lights illuminating the room and shadows dancing on the wall behind the stage. Ives sweeps onto the stage in a white babydoll dress and pastel pink curls, ready to take the room on her musical journey. With industry professionals and musicians dotting the crowds, it’s normally hard to get a Nashville room to dance. Grace finds no difficulty in this respect.
With the easy confidence of someone doing exactly what they are meant to be doing, Grace leads the audience, dancing and jumping right with them. At times, the flashing lights and electronic buzz of the music makes the event feel more like an ascension to a higher plane than a concert. Throughout the evening, Ives plays songs old and new. Different sections of the room scream with excitement when they realize that they get to hear their favorite song played live. She takes note, pointing towards members of the audience, singing lines and verses to engaged fans. It’s a perfect night of pop. Of course, no pop concert is complete without the song everyone in the room has undoubtedly heard. “Lullaby,” squeaks in at the very end of the set before she returns for the encore to a roaring crowd. Ives’ first trip to Nashville draws to a close as she leaves the stage and starts gearing up to get back on the road for the final week of her U.S. tour. To Nashville, at least, it was the perfect first trip.
- Claire Cole
Photos Courtesy of Drew Noble (For Bell Music Magazine)
