Against all odds, Katie Tupper made it to New York on May 3rd for the second stop of her “Greyhound” tour, giving everyone inside Bowery Ballroom the chance to dance and sing away the Sunday scaries. Ety, who released her album Sea Legs last year, was a fitting opener, immediately setting the mood. By the time the venue was properly packed and people were peering over the balconies, anticipation hit a fever pitch. The stage lighting turned blue, cheers erupted, and chants of “Katie” filled the room, and then the show was underway.
Tupper opened with “Disappear,” the first track on Greyhound, as wind blew through her hair and the crowd swayed and sang every word. Without missing a beat, she jumped into “Right Hand Man,” sounding exactly as she does on the record. During this song, she moved across the stage, drawing fans into the moment. Bowery Ballroom is an intimate venue, and for those who managed to press close to the stage, the effort paid off: at certain points, Tupper locked eyes with fans and sang directly to them. The transition into the third song, “Whitney,” was seamless, the drums kicking things off and drawing cheers almost immediately.
During her first pause of the night, Tupper shared that she’s from Saskatchewan, prompting an enthusiastic “Go Canada!” from somewhere in the audience. Once the laughter settled, she reflected on the moment, telling the crowd, “I have dreamt of the days when I could play in this room.” After another wave of cheers, she added, “This is a dream come true,” before performing “Safe Ground,” a song written for her best friend. After that, she stepped briefly away from Greyhound to perform fan favorites “Comfort” and “Need Nothing.”
Then the lighting changed once again, and Tupper asked: “How are we feeling, New York?” To which everyone screamed in response. “I’m personally feeling incredible and having so much fun.” She then shared that she wrote the next song while in New York, and that’s all she was going to divulge. Soon, “Sick to My Stomach” started, and the crowd was very into it, bouncing and loudly singing along. After introducing the band, she said, “This next song is the antidote for the last song.” As “Obviously Desperate” played, it was clear she was having a ton of fun, even laughing at points, and the crowd felt the infectious energy, dancing and getting livelier as the tune progressed.
Tupper later took time to share a story that made everyone even more grateful to be in the room. After driving from Canada, the band almost didn’t make it past the border because someone at customs didn’t like the gear packed into their van. The situation led to desperate measures, with one team member ultimately having to become a commercial truck driver just to get them into the States. Tupper once again emphasized how happy she was to be there because only 48 hours earlier, she had thought, “This is going to ruin the world tour.”
The rest of the show mixed older singles like “Woman No” with Greyhound tracks such as “Original Thoughts.” Throughout the night, the crowd stayed completely entranced, singing along to every song and seeming genuinely grateful to be there. While performing at Bowery Ballroom might have been a dream come true for Tupper, the night also felt like one for her fans, an intimate, joyful show that almost didn’t happen at all.
