Andy Grammer Wraps up the “Greatest Than: A One Man Show Tour”
Oakland, CA — December 13th, 2024, — Alice @97.3 presented “Alice in Winterland," an evening of live music with Andy Grammer, ONEREPUBLIC and Haven Madison at Paramount Theatre in Oakland, CA on December 13th, 2024.
Overall, Grammar had a very uplifting set consisting of guitar strums, incredible vocals and genuine human interaction. Many of his songs have themes of persevering through hardships and keeping an optimistic mindset. Even though Grammer held the stage for a short time, he was able to connect to the audience on a deeper human level.
Grammar started off his set with “Keep Your Head Up” from his 2011 self-titled album. From the same album, he performed “Fine By Me,” which enticed the crowd to clap and snap along to the catchy beat. He also sang “Fresh Eyes” from the 2017 album The Good Parts.
Grammer created an open conversation with the audience throughout his set. For example, he stopped singing at one point to share an anecdote about his background in busking and singing covers. He mentioned he even made CDs performing those covers. He showed a sense of gratefulness for how far he had come in his career thanks to the fans. Transitioning into his newer music from 2024 album Monster, Grammar performed “Save a Spot in the Back For Me.” Before continuing to his next song, Grammar mentioned that this song was in the same key as “golden hour” by JVKE and then covered the song live to cheers from the crowd.
Before performing “I Do” featuring Maddie & Tae from his new album, Grammar gave a shoutout to Cost n’ Mayor, a TikTok duo known for their iconic dance routines and for their collaboration in the song’s music video. He mentioned that the specific lyric, “even when I don’t love you, I do” encompasses marriage, very fitting for a song titled “I Do!”
Grammar opened up to the audience by sharing that he lost his mother at age 25 and his godmother stepped up to do everything in her power to help and support him. He dedicated a song to his godmother saying “I don’t think you realize [the influence you’ve had].” The audience shed tears recognizing that it is difficult to lose someone important in life and the best way to alleviate the pain is to have a supportive community throughout the healing process.
After performing 2022 hit “Joy,” Grammar mentioned he had just released new versions of the song on the deluxe version of Monster. One new version features Galactic and Trombone Shorty. The fans responded to Grammer’s announcement with heart hands. With the upbeat “Honey, I’m Good” from 2014 album Magazines Or Novels, Grammar had the entire audience singing along.
To close out the set, Grammer addressed each individual in the audience by saying “if you’re going through something hard, which you are because you’re human, this song goes out directly to you.” Then, he proceeded to sing “Don’t Give Up On Me” from his 2019 album Naïve which begins with the empowering lyrics “I will fight for you.” Grammer’s set had a huge impact on the audience as a whole. His inspiring words, lyrics and strong vocals set the tone for hope and love for one another. The set was a wonderful sendoff into the holidays and new year.