Remi Wolf reminds me of warm breezes and sitting in the passenger seat of my friend’s car in the spring of 2020 when everyone’s lives had just fallen apart. I remember scrolling through her six-song EP, the only music she had released at the time, and thinking, “When this is over, I’m going to see Wolf live,” and that’s exactly what I did.
For the newly 26-year-old singer, filling a stage solo was easy. The pop star dominated her sold out show at the Metro in Chicago this past Friday, Feb. 4. She opened with her recent single “Liquor Store” which brought the crowd to their feet. Every single song sounded better than the next as she completed a full set while jumping around the stage with ease despite having shin splints, she told the crowd. Even as a solo act, she made great use of her stage space, spending equal time with each section.
In the middle of the performance, she took a minute to calm down the crowd. Once the venue was brought down to a whisper, she did what seemed to be a mental health check-in, asking how the audience was feeling. Upon hearing a few disheartening murmurs, she lead the whole audience in two thoughtful and cleansing breaths. As a regular concert-goer, this was a first for me. I had never experienced a performer do something so intimate. It’s like she could read my mind and see the struggles of the week before.
For the entire show, Wolf was completely herself. She has this stage presence that shows how fun loving and emotional she is. Her fun and funky sound not only allows her to dance around, encouraging the audience to do the same. The call and response elements only heightened the energy in the venue.
The cherry on top of the performance was the ad-libs that proved just how talented of an artist she truly is. She took her music to the next level with belting notes and runs that absolutely blew me away and showed how much she deserved the spot on the stage. It reminded me of seeing a jazz performance: no two shows are the same. I am sure that Wolf went on to do different renditions of the songs each night, creating excitement not just for her, but the audience as well.
Wolf wrapped up her set by singing her iconic hit, “Disco Man,” the song which turned all of my friends into Wolf fans. It was the perfect way to wrap up the show, fans screaming the well known melody at the top of their lungs and jumping around like the ground was on fire.
The 90-minute performance was a prime example of why live music exists. It is supposed to be exciting, powerful and a completely new listening experience. It takes your favorite songs and makes them better than you ever thought possible, and Wolf did just that.
This story was written by Anna Houston. You can contact her at [email protected].
Quinn :) • Feb 16, 2022 at 4:40 pm
I’m not sure who the writer is but she KILLED IT! I loved the descriptive words she used which helped me create a picture in my head! The concert sounded like so much fun and I hope it was a blast! 🙂 Overall the article was beautifully written. 💖💖