While there have been many performers who have used TikTok to achieve fame before her, Tate McRae is arguably the first singer to use TikTok to become a megastar. Hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos chart the Canadian performer through her current world tour or showcase aspiring amateur dancers imitating her now-signature moves. On her first tour of Australia, McRae has sold out every ticket on her tour, with demand far outstripping supply everywhere she goes. 

For the first of her two nights at the Hordern Pavilion, the atmosphere was buzzing in spite of the gloomy weather outside the venue. As McRae entered the stage, the noise from inside the venue was deafening as the echo of 5,000 screams reverberated through the entire Fox Studios precinct. 

While all megastar fandoms reach a certain level of intensity, there is a particular gravitas around McRae’s fandom. Commencing her set with “think later”, she was greeted by a sea of camera phones, lit up with the colours of the set in a way that I have never seen before. It created the deepest sense of camaraderie and esprit du corps that one can find in a concert. With every action, every note and every move, McRae held the audience in the palm of her hand with daring charisma. And the crowd was joyous, in the truest sense of the word. 

Much has been made of McRae’s dancing but her vocals were actually the focal point of the early part of the show. Her ballad “stay done” had all the phone lights up in the audience and the heartbreak-tinged ‘feels like shit” had a gritty edginess to it, which provided a nice contrast to the rest of the set. It was a reminder of the breadth and versatility of McRae’s talent.

Then there was the dancing. As the set progressed, McRae dropped the microphone and performed numbers with a series of dance breaks, most notably “exes”, which featured the TikTok-viral flurry of whirling arms and snapping motions. McRae had a fabulous synergy with the rest of her dancing ensemble and put on a dazzling display which was underpinned by an extraordinary level of technical skill. Comparisons to Britney Spears are obvious (and somewhat lazy), but McRae showed a level of command and poise on the stage that very few, especially at her age, could even begin to demonstrate. 

As McRae moved into her first hit “you broke me first”, she laid out her gratitude for the audience, especially those who had been there from the start of her journey. 

“I know a lot of you have been here since middle school with me and it’s crazy that you’re still here.”

It was a moment of genuine affection in a concert that was highly planned and polished. While this was necessary due to the complexity of managing the balance between McRae’s singing and dancing and was also understandable due to this being the pop star’s first world tour, a little more spontaneity and connection with the audience would have been welcomed. The set was also missing the occasionally performed “10.35”, which some fans remarked upon when leaving the venue, but given the already voluminous nature of McRae’s discography, especially at such a young age, this did little to dampen the overall mood. 

As the main set drew to a close, the crowd began cheering for Kid Laroi, McRae’s boyfriend and a fabulous pop star in his own right, to come up on stage. While Laroi was spotted in the audience, the requests of the audience were not obliged although McRae kept spirits up by premiering her forthcoming single “2 hands.” It was a solid track, showcasing the strength of McRae’s vocals and of course, a fearsome dance break, but it perhaps lacked the extra sprinkle of pizzazz of some of her previous hits. 

McRae closed the night with her biggest hit ‘greedy’, sending the audience off with yet another dance break. It was a fitting end to a fantastic night, which really was a celebration for McRae’s fans who had been waiting for years for her to arrive on Australian shores. It’s safe to say that when McRae returns, it will be to a considerably larger venue than the Hordern because there is no doubt that this is a singer whose star is very much on the rise. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Tate McRae – 12^th November, 2024 – Hordern Pavillion

Photo credit: Beth Saravo