At just 25 years old, Reneé Rapp boasts a box office-topping movie (Mean Girls), a hit TV show (HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls) and a No. 1 album (2025’s Bite Me debuted atop Album Sales). On Monday night (Sept. 29), the vocal powerhouse added another notch to her belt: her first headlining show at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
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Launched in support of Bite Me, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and housed popular tracks like lead single “Leave Me Alone” and “I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone,” Rapp’s latest trek kicked off on Sept. 23 at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Across two hours of roof-raising vocal performances, Rapp treated The Garden to the entirety of Bite Me and a few tracks from her debut album, Snow Angel, as well as its preceding EP, Everything to Everyone.
The title track of the latter project served as Rapp’s intro Monday night. After a video interlude in which Rapp played several different versions of herself (masc Reneé, pop star Reneé, everyday Reneé, etc.) to highlight the different roles she’s expected to play in her personal and professional lives, she softly sang “Everything to Everyone” before properly kicking the show off with the deliciously riotous “Leave Me Alone.”
With no backup singers or dancers, Rapp made excellent use of her stage, which consisted of a black-and-white checkered floor, a star-shaped platform lit up with pink lights, and a lift that she mounted on two separate occasions. From her dramatic smoky eye makeup and silver-and-black outfit to her emphasis on her live band, Rapp nailed her singular amalgamation of glam rock and punk pop aesthetics. Interestingly, she also tempered that style with nods to her theater background, from the red curtains that framed the stage to her penchant for video interludes that use her acting chops to further the show’s narrative of leaning into her pop stardom in earnest. Some of that tension even made its way to the setlist, with Rapp cutting short “Not My Fault,” her Mean Girls soundtrack single, in favor of “At Least I’m Hot,” a similarly disco-tinged number from Bite Me.
From Beyoncé covers to an incredibly emotional performance of her debut single “In the Kitchen,” Rapp had several standout moments during her MSG show. Nonetheless, few moments compared to her giving each member of her terrific band — Tim Ramsey (bass), Josh Porter (guitar), Terrence Vaughn (keys), Ari O’Neal (guitar) and Josh Foster (drums) — time for their individual bows, complete with their names lighting up the big screen.
Here are the five best moments of Reneé Rapp’s Bite Me Tour at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Syd Flaunts Range During Opening Set
Just a few days after revealing that new music from The Internet is on the way, lead vocalist Syd graced The Garden’s stage to open for Reneé Rapp. With a smooth, tender tone and a lovably bashful stage presence, Syd ripped through a collection of songs that displayed her range as an artist, songwriter, and producer. Not only did she play her seductive new single, “Die for This,” but Syd also performed The Internet’s signature hit (“Girl”) and her infectious 2016 Kaytranada collaboration (“You’re the One”).
Of course, Syd smartly took the opportunity to perform “Plastic Off the Sofa,” a track from Beyoncé’s Renaissance, which she co-wrote. Opting for a more lo-fi, jazz-leaning arrangement, Syd’s rendition of the alluring track, Syd’s rendition felt unmistakably hers — a key feat for a song that already has such a recognizable, Grammy-winning version (Bey’s recording won best traditional R&B performance in 2023).
“Welcome to My Crash Out!”
After tearing through “Everything to Everyone” and a particularly fiery rendition of “Leave Me Alone,” Rapp took a brief minute to address the crowd. “My name is Renée Rapp,” she proclaimed. “And welcome to my crash out!”
Obviously a tongue-in-cheek welcome message, Rapp’s quip also felt decidedly apt. One of the main attractions of Bite Me is how it revels in unadulterated outspokenness and confrontation — so, in simpler terms, the album is a musical “crash out.” If we’re going by TikTok’s definition of the term, that is.
Alyah Chanelle Scott & Alexander 23 Cameos
In “At Least I’m Hot,” the night’s final song, the second verse is a call-and-response between Rapp and her girlfriend, fellow acclaimed recording artist Towa Bird: “How ya doin’, Nay?/ I’ve been doin’ real bad/ Damn, but you look so fit/ Wеll, I can guarantee that.”
On Monday night, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Rapp’s Tony-winning former Sex Lives co-star, and Alexander 23, the track’s co-writer, helped complete the call-and-response. To create a moment of intimacy, no matter how brief, between yourself and two longtime collaborators and friends in the middle of a sold-out arena show is no easy task — but somehow, Rapp pulled it off.
Reneé Proudly Displays Beyhive Badge
There are two things everyone should know about Renée Rapp: She’s a proud lesbian and a card-carrying member of the Beyhive. She stressed both parts of her identity throughout the show, but the Queen Bey tribute was one of the night’s most impressive moments.
After slaying “Daddy Lessons” during soundcheck, Rapp performed a full cover of Queen Bey’s “Ego,” a track from her 2008 I Am… Sasha Fierce LP, in the middle of the show. Sitting atop a grand piano, Rapp delivered a pitch-perfect rendition of the snap-laden track, including the intricate riffs in the bridge, which has spawned their own TikTok challenge. “If you don’t know that song, you’re too young,” she joked after basking in the rapturous applause. “I love Beyoncé!”
In an interview last year, Rapp gushed over receiving a bouquet of flowers from Beyoncé, citing her as “the reason that I know how to sing. I would sit down and listen to her different tonalities and phonics and phrasing styles and be like, ‘Please, Jesus, let me be able to do this.’” Later that year, Queen Bey named Rapp as one of her favorite “female singers-songwriters who are out right now.” It looks like there’s no end in sight for this love fest, and that’s just the way it should be!
“In the Kitchen”
Sure, “Leave Me Alone” was the explosive opener and “At Least I’m Hot” brought the whole thing home, but the true show-stopping vocal performance of the night belonged to two non-Bite Me tracks: “In the Kitchen” and “Snow Angel.”
When Rapp debuted with “In the Kitchen” in 2022, the song arrived with a boatload of lore, but none of that mattered when she got behind the mic stand on Sunday night. Beyond the otherworldly vocals — seriously, to perform such a demanding song with such accuracy and conviction well over an hour into the show is nothing to scoff at — Rapp’s eyes told the whole story.
Now three years and two studio albums removed from its release, “In the Kitchen” stands as the song that properly launched the pop star known as Reneé Rapp. Not only is it the musical embodiment of her decision to depart from the acting world, but “In the Kitchen” also remains a soaring, heartbreaking ballad that now soundtracks Rapp’s “I made it” moment. As she scanned the jam-packed arena near the song’s end, even her smoky eyeshadow couldn’t hide the tears welling up in her eyes — and that emotion resonated with every fan in the building, old and new alike.
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