Live Review: Macy Gray @ Hindley Street Music Hall 12/09/26

Two years after her last visit celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album, On How Life Is, Macy Gray returned for another captivating evening of live music that had the predominantly middle-aged Adelaide crowd getting their groove on.

Despite the first show of the tour in Melbourne being cancelled due to venue staff going on strike, Gray was in good form throughout the night. But before talking about Gray's performance, a special mention must be made of her support, Emi Seacrest.

The Memphis-born, LA-based soul singer, who earned a Grammy nod in 2024, won over the local crowd with her seductive vocals, merging smooth R&B with emotive soul music, setting the scene perfectly for Gray.

As her four-piece band made their way on stage, each wearing a large afro wig, Gray soon followed in a colourful dress, scarf around her neck and red driving gloves covering her hands. There was plenty of applause and a few "I love yous" shouted by the crowd, with Gray basking in the attention.

The setlist was a mix of tracks from across her career, showcasing the various styles of music Gray has performed. 'The Way' sounded like a church gospel hymn, 'Relating To A Psychopath' brought a jazzy energy to proceedings, with Gray encouraging the crowd to clap along, and 'Witness' featured an audience singalong initiated by Gray, who altered the lyrics slightly and had one side of the venue singing "I wish I was Jesus", and the other half crooning "I'll fix it for ya".

Gray is known for her unique, raspy voice, but it's only when witnessing her sing live that you realise how powerful it can be. There's a real gravitas to her soulful growl that hits deep and adds layers to her music. This was demonstrated when she performed two cuts back-to-back from On How Life Is: 'Why Didn't You Call Me', during which she introduced her band featuring an Aussie on guitar, and hit single 'Still', an intimate portrait of an abusive relationship that hit hard.

Similar to her last performance in Adelaide, Gray used a few of the same stage tricks to keep the crowd's energy high. She introduced herself as being from "Los Angeles, California" multiple times and asked the audience to yell their names at the count of three so she could get acquainted with everyone in the venue. Another piece of stagecraft was telling punters that while we might be there to see her sing, she and her band were here to see us sing, leading us to take the reins during several songs.

Cover songs are also a big part of Gray's live performance, with the first coming midway through the set when the soul singer took on Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters'. The stripped-back jazz rendition left the majority of the audience puzzled, which is understandable as the thrash metal legends aren't really the crowd's cup of tea, but it's fair to say Gray's take was pretty good.

There was also a cover of Radiohead's 'Creep', which more of the audience knew, particularly one man who was doing his best Thom Yorke impression and trying to catch Gray's eye. There was even a little Right Said Fred 'I'm Too Sexy' thrown into the mix during the playful 'Sexual Revolution', the first song that formed the second half of the set after a Gray costume change and the addition of opener Seacrest as back-up singer.

Sporting another vibrant dress, this one with cartoon faces, Gray performed the previously mentioned 'Sexual Revolution' followed by a stirring rendition of 'Beauty In The World'. The crowd came alive for 'I Try', the song everyone had been waiting for, with Grey encouraging the audience to sing along, not that they needed much prompting.

And just like her last visit, Gray ended the evening with a new song. The unreleased R&B number track, which she joked we were the first to hear, besides those who heard it during her tours of the US over the past couple of months, was welcomed by the crowd. One of her crew members joined Gray on stage and filmed the crowd as they boogied along while the talented vocalist serenaded everyone with her delightful voice before saying her goodbyes as the song ended, leaving the stage to more rapturous applause.