Pop Break: Raye with Amma and Absolutely on the “This Tour May Contain New Music” at The Met in Philly on Sunday April 19, 2026.
British superstar Raye brought her “This Tour May Contain New Music Tour” to The Met in Philadelphia on Sunday April 19th.
Raye is having quite the year. This seven-time Brit Award winner was honored this year with the Harry Belafonte “Best Song for Social Change Award” for her courageous song “Ice Cream Man.” It was also announced last month that she’ll be joining Bruno Mars on select dates on his Romantic Tour this summer.
The evening was definitely a family affair as Raye’s two younger sisters were the opening act. They go under the monikers of Amma and Absolutely and were accompanied by a guitarist and a drummer. Both performed short sets in front of a red curtain that had moody lighting. Having never heard their music before, I realized within the first few minutes that this family is truly gifted and their talent runs deep. Both had beautiful voices and they really captivated the audience throughout their sets.
Songs that stood out during Amma’s set were “Talking to Jesus,” “Blame Game,” and a rousing cover of the Miley Cyrus song “The Climb.” The crowd, with hands in the air, joined her in singing at the top of their lungs during the last chorus of that song. It really set the tone for what would be an incredible night of music. Absolutely’s set was just as good and some highlights were “I Just Don’t Know You Yet,” “Nowhere to Hide,” and “No Audience.” They both got standing ovations at the end of their sets.
Looking around at the crowd before Raye came on, it appeared that some fans dressed up a bit for the show. I saw quite a few women wearing dresses, corsets and a lot of red which matched the fiery red aesthetic for her performance.
Raye, looking gorgeous in a red dress, returned to the stage and didn’t pull any punches, opening the set with her most popular song, the massive viral hit, “Where the Hell is My Husband.” You’d think a song like that would be at the encore. Raye had other ideas and the place erupted. The audience sang along loudly. It set the tone for what would be an unforgettable night of music. The rest of the emotionally charged 20-plus set was a mix of new, old and unreleased songs. Raye is extremely versatile and can just about do it all-from jazz, R&B, dance, pop, soul, big band and house music.
At one point they transformed the stage into Raye’s Jazz Club. It was a vintage set-up with tables, chairs, lamps and tablecloths. It was the perfect setup for Raye to cover Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” We heard a little scatting as well. There were other set changes throughout the night. There were so many songs that stood out. The crowd was really loving “Click Clack Symphony” which featured film composer Hans Zimmer. It had such a great off-kilter rhythm. “Lifeboat,” with its repeating “I’m not giving up yet” mantra was a tear jerker.”
“Ice Cream Man” was tough to hear. Prior to Raye sitting down at the piano she said it was the hardest song she has ever written as its about her own personal experience with violence and a rape at the age of 17. She said there are evil people out there who want to manipulate you and bring you down but you need to rise above it. Raye shared her mother’s four-word mantra: “everything’s gonna be alright.” She’s comforted by those words. Talking about an assault like that in front of thousands of people is brave and after the song was over a few women in the audience screamed out thank you. It was a touching moment.
Another standout was “Nightingale Lane.” It’s about the greatest heartbreak she’s ever known. Raye said it’s tough grieving someone who is still alive and you start thinking you knew everything you could possibly know about them, but ultimately feeling like they are a stranger in the end. It was a really tough time for her. With sharing these many stories she told during the night, she was ultimately inspiring people with positivity with a message that healing is possible and they are not alone. Another touching moment came when Raye kneeled down on the floor of the stage and sang “I Know You’re Hurting.” Another song the crowd just loved was “Oscar Winning Tears.”
Raye hyped up the crowd with the rave-dance portion of the show, performing “Black Mascara” and “Prada,” then brought out her sisters to join her on the song “Joy.” She encored with her global smash hit “Escapism.” Raye’s black-tie performance at the iconic Met was stunning and was elevated by the halls legendary acoustics. This one of a kind artist really delivered. It was pure magic!
