On November 18th, Molly Grace performed at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco while on tour in support of her debut studio album “Blush.” Last December, I saw Grace perform on her “Lovesick” tour at Cornerstone in Berkeley, where she put on a thrilling show with her band, highlighting her impressive vocal talent. I knew this year’s show would be just as incredible, if not more so, because there was a greater chance Grace’s backup singers would be on this tour!
The openers were two fabulous drag queens. First, Clark, in a cutesy floral slip dress, who lip-synced “Lovefool,” gave us a brief comedic intermission, then Christina Aguilera’s “Just a Girl.” Next was Bonita Rose, who danced and lip-synced to a live Dua Lipa medley, wearing a stunning Maleficent-inspired black lace number that had three magnificent burlesque-style costume reveals.
Before Molly Grace came out, three pink directors’ style chairs were placed onstage and labeled Angel #1, Angel #2, and Molly. Her “lover girls,” as she called the pair of backup singers, came out first in pastel pink babydoll dresses, and then the self-described “lesbian pop diva.” Molly Grace was glittered up with plenty of blush on. She wore a white mini dress with a large red kiss mark print, red tights, and a red bedazzled belt buckle the size of a small picture frame. While the lighting went through a pretty rainbow of colors, Molly Grace and her lover girls were radiating a bright, bubbly, femme, pink aura as their beautiful, synchronized voices and dance moves continued.
Her music is so groovy that it’s nearly impossible not to dance to it. My favorite song of hers, “Soprano,” shows off her vocal prowess: as the song title indicates, she hits some spectacular high notes. Molly Grace is a powerhouse with excellent vocal control, consistently hitting outstanding riffs, adlibs, and belting at some point in most of her songs. Halfway through her set, Molly Grace slowed things down. She got her acoustic guitar and took away her microphone, sat in her chair with her bedazzled name on it at the front of the stage, and got close and personal with the audience. She played the last song on her Blush album, “Soft (Voice Memo).” Grace said the song was originally a love song about a person, but as she went on tour, it became more about her fans and “about this space we’ve created here, where I feel very safe to be both this very bold and confident persona up there, but also very safe to strip back and be my vulnerable self here.” One committed fan at the very front quietly sang along with Grace, reciting every word. It was such a special, intimate moment between Grace and her devoted fans.
For the next song, Molly Grace plugged in the guitar and said, “Listen here, San Francisco, here in Molly Grace nation, we’re all about bang for your buck, right, okay? Tough economy? And listen, I think it would be a disservice to you and your dollar if you only heard these ladies sing harmonies all night. I think you should hear them show off a little bit!” The three of them, focusing on Molly Grace’s backup singers, McKenna and Bella, did their rendition of Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” Of course, Grace’s introduction was more than well deserved, and the audience was happy to cheer on these talented artists as they flexed their skills. Another song that stood out to me was “Lemonade,” which McKenna helped Molly Grace write. Even her songs that start on the quieter, slower side tend to build up to a gorgeous crescendo, like her songs “Say When” and especially “Wearing My Ring.” Molly Grace and her backup singers not only flaunted their great pipes, but they also commanded the stage with their flirty dance moves during the more upbeat songs. Cleverly incorporating their mic stands and chairs, utilizing the whole stage, and nailing harmonies while executing their choreography, the three kept the audience hooting and hollering all night.
Molly Grace treated us to her soon-to-be-released song “Bow Wow,” coming December 5th. The upbeat song included playful dog puns throughout with the chorus: “Sit down, you don’t want a girl, you want a bitch, now keep it up I’ll put you in the dog house, it’s nonsense out your mouth, like bow wow wow…”
Molly Grace closed out the night by saying it was a bittersweet feeling to come to the end of the tour. She said, “It’s never lost on us what a privilege it is to be able to create these spaces where we can all be ourselves, be queer, be free, have fun!” She finished with “F.E.M.M.E.,” which stands for Fabulous, Enticing, Magnetic, Magical, Everything, which this artist absolutely is, especially considering her entrancing stage presence. Molly Grace has always knocked my socks off. She puts out empowering queer songs and kills it during every single song on stage. For your own starting point, listen to “Blush,” as Molly Grace said herself on stage, “it’s fun and flirty and empowering and groovy,” and definitely take the opportunity to see her live if you can!
Review and photos by Serena McIntosh
