Ethan James Green
Audio By Carbonatix
A black ornate iron gate with a magnificent “A” was on center stage. A gold chandelier hangs from above it. The stage setup looked like it was plucked from New Orleans. We would be kidding ourselves if we thought Addison Rae wasn’t going to show us her Louisiana roots on her debut global headlining tour.
If you have never heard of Addison Rae, she had dreams of making LSU’s dance team, the Tiger Girls, but failed to make the cut. The one-time TikTok star uploaded trendy dance videos before becoming pop music’s next big thing. Originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, she spent time in Los Angeles to pursue her entertainment career, and her popularity on social media skyrocketed to real fame. At her sold-out show at South Side Ballroom, her fans were posing in front of the Gilley’s Dallas sign and taking pictures, capturing her name written on the marquee.
Rae’s girlypop album, Addison, was released over the summer and received many positive reviews. The 24-year-old performer has been compared to Lana Del Rey, Madonna and Britney Spears, which is a bit unfair for someone who only has one album to her name. With no opener, the crowd indulged in songs by Spears, No Doubt and Kylie Minogue, maybe a projection of where she’s headed as a rookie pop star with a streak of leading singles such as “Obsessed” and “Diet Pepsi.”
After about a 30-minute wait, the lights went down. Her dancers opened the gates. We were transported to a version of Cirque du Soleil that fused theater, elaborate costumes, emotion and performances. In an Alice in Wonderland-esque dress, the world-building began when she opened with “Fame Is a Gun.” “I’m your dream girl, but you’re not my type,” she sang. Within minutes, her dancers stripped her down to an S&M-inspired black and leather outfit for “I Got It Bad.”
For a show of this scale, Rae used every bit of the stage to make her songs look different from each other. Whether it was a ballroom, a mansion or a club, we felt a part of the fantasy. For “New York,” she used stairs and stage lighting that made it seem like we were an ultra-exclusive rave during New York Fashion Week.
“How are you all feeling tonight? I was hearing you guys backstage, you guys are loud,” Rae told Dallas. “Thank you all so much for coming, for being here. I hope you’re ready to have a good time. I have to pinch myself every day, I feel like I’m in a dream. But one thing that reminds me that I’m not in a dream is that for me, if it were a dream, it probably would be summer forever.”
After “Summer Forever” and “2 Die 4,” she did the remix of Charli XCX’s “Von Dutch.” For those not on TikTok, your introduction to Rae may have been through Charli XCX, her mentor-slash-bestie who makes anyone next to her instantly cooler. There was rarely a Gen Z fan who didn’t have their phone outs, and “Von Dutch” was the one performance to record. Keeping the same after-hours club energy of the song, Rae let loose, and the banger rang through South Side Ballroom. She then grabbed two audience members on stage to scream her parts with her, letting out whatever negativity and tension they had inside them. The audience danced and did the same, screaming so loud that the decibel levels were high. It was what everyone needed.
Rae’s performance live is tightly produced, each song with a different aesthetic that allows her to glide confidently and comfortably. You can try to find reasons not to like her set, but it’s almost better to accept that she’s the rising pop star of 2025. We can keep reminiscing on how her music sounds like Lana, Madonna or Britney, or we can live in the era of Addison Rae: dreamy and enchanting. From her dancer Patrick’s umbrella dancing for “In The Rain” to the feel-good K-pop-ish vibes found on “Aquamarine and “Headphones On,” she’s already performing at a level where selling out stadiums is on the horizon.
“Thank you for welcoming me. Thank you to everybody who has traveled to get here as well. I see some Louisiana people out there,” she said. “You have made all of my wildest dreams come true. It means the world to me. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something you want to do.”
The doe-eyed enthusiasm, the thank-yous and the gratitude laid on the audience may be signs that she’s still green and has work to do. However, Southern hospitality is welcomed in Texas. Despite being an L.A. girl now, Rae’s our neighbor. It’s deeply warming to have celebrities acknowledge that we spend our hard-earned money and take time out to see them. Rae read signs from fans, complimented fans’ outfits, pointed out people who were on other people’s shoulders and waved to all the people in the back. She gave us her all.
After cheekily saying she was “obsessed” with Dallas for her pulsating song “Obsessed,” this portion of the show was like Addison Rae on Broadway, a dance between man and woman, slapping him away when she realizes she’s just obsessed with herself as he is with her. It was fun to watch.
The one-two combo of “Times Like These” and “Diet Pepsi” punctuates why her debut album is sticking with these fans, who came out in the hundreds to see her. For “Diet Pepsi,” the sexually empowered youths sang “my ass looks good in these ripped blue jeans” and “sitting on his lap sippin’ Diet Pepsi” with their chests. Not only is she alluring, she’s also charming. Her music will win over millennials who need a new pop star to stan. There was no better finale to celebrate the milestone of a first tour than colorful confetti raining down.
“This is my last show in Texas for now,” Rae said. “I love you all. Thank you again, until next time. To a long journey ahead.”
