Concert Review: Tate McRae’s “Miss Possessive Tour”

It’s no secret that Tate McRae has the whole world in her chokehold. After releasing her most successful studio album to date, So Close to What, the Canadian star embarked on her first arena tour beginning in March this year. Spanning 83 shows, she’s checking off bucket list venues she had no clue she would be playing when she released her first song on YouTube at just 13 years old – most notably, two completely sold out nights at the iconic Kia Forum. And let’s just get one thing straight: this girl was born to be a performer. 

In true Tate McRae fashion, the show began with an explosive introduction and got the whole crowd riled up for the incredible night ahead. In a cloud of billowing smoke, flashing red lights, and eye-catching graphics, there was no denying the full-body chills that accompanied me as the singer came strutting onto the stage to the hit track, “Miss Possessive.” I watched in awe as she danced through a shortened version of “No I’m not in love,” performed her iconic “2 hands” dance break, and treated the crowd to “guilty conscience,” a fan favorite from her previous project.

The next segment of the show began with beautiful string instrumentals, preceding her song titled “Purple lace bra.” McRae emerged from the staircase behind the stage wearing a glimmering bralette and her signature striped track pants, complimented by delicate heels. The performance of this song felt like a reclamation of the exact thing the song was written about – the oversexualization of female artists. With raunchy choreography performed exclusively by her male dancers and captivating eye contact as she sat wide-legged on a chair, the song felt truly cathartic. Chills ran down my spine as I could hear nearly everyone in the audience screaming the bridge. 

The pop star has a daunting stage setup, made up of two levels and a massive catwalk complete with an extensive end platform. It seemed hardly a challenge for McRae, nevertheless, as I witnessed her dominate every single inch of that tremendous stage. She stunned the audience with a provocative showcase of “Like I do,” introduced “uh oh” with an unbelievable pole dance, and performed the infamous “Dear god” dance line. Though she is arguably one of the best dancers of her time, she is also a spectacular vocalist - she did not let anyone forget this as she traveled up and down the catwalk, hitting every note of  “Siren sounds.” 

As she took to the round b-stage wearing a long, ethereal white flowy dress, she moved through the ballads on her discography. “Greenlight” and “Nostalgia,” the more raw and emotional songs from her most recent release, were guaranteed not to leave a dry eye in sight. During this moment was where everyone was able to experience one of my favorite things about Tate – she genuinely understands how to make every single person in the room feel special. She consistently denotes how much she appreciates her fans, dedicating this section of the show to the people that have stuck by her since day one. She sang shortened piano versions, just one verse and one chorus, of some of her oldest songs: “that way,” “stupid, " and “feel like shit.” 

McRae ended her time on the b-stage with her breakout hit, “you broke me first.” As she made her way back to the main stage, she simultaneously sang “run for the hills” and walked through the crowd. She gave lucky fans an exhilarating high five in passing, and you could even hear the screams of eager fans through her microphone as she whizzed by. I’ve always thought it to be particularly special when singers are able to get physically close to their fans via barricade walk, and she was generous enough to do it on both sides of the stage so nearly every person on the rail would have a chance to see her up close. 

The closing segment of the concert featured her biggest pop hits to date. She was once again joined on stage by her dancers for the chart-topping Think Later song, “exes,” naturally over-delivering with the viral dance break at the end of the song. Established as a Miss Possessive tour-exclusive tradition, one of McRae’s longtime friends and backup dancers, Findlay McConnell, takes a fan’s phone on stage each night in place of Flo Milli’s verse on “bloodonmyhands.” She skipped across the stage as the entire crowd sang a nostalgic favorite, “she’s all i wanna be,” and Los Angeles was treated to the debut of her new song, “TIT FOR TAT.” 

Many fans believe this was a response to The Kid LAROI’s most recent song amid their breakup rumors, and McRae described how she wrote this song on tour as she processes what is going on in her life by writing songs. The performance was accompanied by alluring blue visuals, deliciously catchy lyrics, and a new signature Tate McRae dance break that is sure to see TikTok virality any minute now. 

Throughout the show, McRae was joined onstage by eight total backup dancers, six men and two women, who are just as gifted as she is. It takes talent to know talent, and it’s clear by the absolutely showstopping choreography that she has excellent taste. She evidently appreciates her dancers so much, featuring them in the “Revolving Door” interlude where each dancer executed a stunning solo that played to their individual strengths. As a longtime fan of McRae’s, dating all the way back to her domination in the competition dance world and her days on So You Think You Can Dance, I have a well-established admiration for her unparalleled dance background and the caliber of dancers that she chose to take on tour with her. 

The final few songs ended the show with a bang: the incredibly successful “It’s ok I’m ok” and its legendary choreography, the award-winning “Just Keep Watching” from F1 The Movie, and the smash hit single “Sports car” in all its glory. Confetti blanketed the arena as the last notes of “greedy” echoed, and Tate McRae gave her final bow with her dancers as “I know love” played from the overhead tape. Through and through, she put on an unmatched performance from start to finish. From the vocals to the dancing, to the creative direction and overall production, a scarce few are really doing it like Tate McRae is on the Miss Possessive World Tour. 

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