In a golden era of pop divas who are ruling the music industry with catchy songs and even catchier choreography, stars like Lady Gaga, Doechii and Katseye shine on stage along with pop sensation Tate McRae who has successfully taken over the industry with her “Miss Possessive” tour.
The 22-year-old gave her excited fans exactly what they wanted for her first debut arena tour – a 95 minute performance including almost all songs on her “So Close To What” album, throwbacks to her past debut album “Think Later” and even songs dug up from her early YouTube days. The tour has spanned worldwide and will continue to show across stadiums in South America, Europe, the United Kingdom and North America.
What makes Tate’s concert so electric isn’t just her unbelievable vocals, it’s her dancing that has the fans in a trance watching her perform. McRae brings into this tour her triad identity: singer, dancer and songwriter. Her background in competitive dance always looms in her performances, which means expectations have been set high. Fans have asked for incredible vocals in addition to entrancing dances, and they got it.
As a dancer from a young age, McRae is well versed in the art of captivating an audience, which she did on all fronts for her concert. Her performance was split into five different acts, and where other artists would use the time in between to change wardrobes, she only switched outfits twice. The other breaks were interludes featuring her team of eight dancers or a solo from her guitarist, who, along with a drummer and programmer, were the only live musicians on stage.
One of her most consistent standouts of the “Miss Possessive” tour is the visual and technical set ups. At the O2 London show, the stage had been described as industrial-chic, featuring giant yellow cranes with “TATE” emblazoned on them. Her intros are truly cinematic, with opening sequences often combining glitchy, computer-like visuals and cut scenes that set a futuristic ambiance. Her visuals don’t end at her intros, though, as lighting, smoke, fire, sparklers and shadows are utilized to define key moments in the concert, mostly during transitions into her more intense dance numbers.
This kind of production goes far beyond the pop show expectations. It functions as extensions of McRae’s artistic and diverse persona–her control and power to be able to captivate the audience in numerous ways.
When asking some West Essex students about their thoughts, the feedback was ultimately very positive.
“I actually loved it so much,” junior Jillian Breslin said. “I knew every one of her songs, so that helped my experience, but she’s just a great performer. Her dances were so good and it was really impressive how she could still do all of that dancing while singing at the same time.”
“It was a great concert!” senior Elyana Ghattas said. “She is an amazing performer, and it is so clear that she is a dancer; the choreography was amazing. I saw things about people saying she just danced, and didn’t sing enough for a concert, but in my opinion, she sang more than enough, and her vocals are insane. She has such a good stage presence. The set list was amazing and mixed with songs from her new album, while including some of her older classic songs.”
McRae also lets out emotional peaks during her concert. In tracks like “You Broke Me First” she sometimes lets cracks or intensity in her voice seep through. Her transitions from emotionally raw ballads to dance pop can feel abrupt, but it is intentional for the audience to really feel the switch up rather than a seamless story telling.
“My favorite part was when she sang her older songs and played the piano along with them,” Ghattas said. “Her voice is amazing, and she is just so talented.”
Additionally, McRae really includes her crowd. She is always physically present whether this includes her running through the aisles, high-fiving fans, projecting audience members’ faces on the screen or even taking some fans’ phones at times to film from stage, she always finds a way to reach out and become more of a tangible figure rather than an unreachable pop icon.
Overall, the “Miss Possessive” tour is a breakout moment for Tate McRae. It’s bold, ambitious and shows she isn’t playing safe with the hand she has been dealt. McRae is staking claim to a spot in the pop hierarchy that demands viewers to watch her. The tour solidifies her as more than a TikTok hitmaker or dance prodigy, it positions her as a genuine, full-scale pop icon.
If McRae continues to wow crowds across the globe with her incredible concerts, she’s on the path to defining this new era of pop music. And this “Miss Possessive” tour may as well go down as an early signature moment in a long-lasting, successful career.
