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At just 25 years old, Rene\u00e9 Rapp <\/a>boasts a box office-topping<\/a> movie (Mean Girls<\/em>), a hit TV show<\/a> (HBO\u2019s The Sex Lives of College Girls<\/em>) and a No. 1 album (2025\u2019s Bite Me<\/em> debuted atop<\/a> Album Sales). On Monday night (Sept. 29), the vocal powerhouse added another notch to her belt: her first headlining show at New York City\u2019s iconic Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Launched in support of Bite Me<\/em>, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200<\/a> and housed popular tracks like lead single \u201cLeave Me Alone\u201d and \u201cI Think I Like You Better When You\u2019re Gone,\u201d<\/a> Rapp\u2019s latest trek kicked off on Sept. 23 at Colorado\u2019s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Across two hours of roof-raising vocal performances, Rapp treated The Garden to the entirety of Bite Me<\/em> and a few tracks from her debut album, Snow Angel<\/em>, as well as its preceding EP, Everything to Everyone<\/em>.<\/p>\n The title track of the latter project served as Rapp\u2019s intro Monday night. After a video interlude in which Rapp played several different versions of herself (masc Rene\u00e9, pop star Rene\u00e9, everyday Rene\u00e9, etc.) to highlight the different roles she\u2019s expected to play in her personal and professional lives, she softly sang \u201cEverything to Everyone\u201d before properly kicking the show off with the deliciously riotous \u201cLeave Me Alone.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s narrative of leaning into her pop stardom in earnest. Some of that tension even made its way to the setlist, with Rapp cutting short \u201cNot My Fault,\u201d her Mean Girls<\/em> soundtrack single, in favor of \u201cAt Least I\u2019m Hot,\u201d a similarly disco-tinged number from Bite Me<\/em>.<\/p>\n From Beyonc\u00e9<\/a> covers to an incredibly emotional performance of her debut single \u201cIn the Kitchen,\u201d Rapp had several standout moments during her MSG show. Nonetheless, few moments compared to her giving each member of her terrific band \u2014 Tim Ramsey (bass), Josh Porter (guitar), Terrence Vaughn (keys), Ari O\u2019Neal (guitar) and Josh Foster (drums) \u2014 time for their individual bows, complete with their names lighting up the big screen.<\/p>\n Here are the five best moments of Rene\u00e9 Rapp\u2019s Bite Me Tour at New York City\u2019s Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n Just a few days after revealing that new music from The Internet is on the way, lead vocalist Syd graced The Garden\u2019s stage to open for Rene\u00e9 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, \u201cDie for This,\u201d but Syd also performed The Internet\u2019s signature hit (\u201cGirl\u201d) and her infectious 2016 Kaytranada<\/a> collaboration (\u201cYou\u2019re the One\u201d).<\/p>\n Of course, Syd smartly took the opportunity to perform \u201cPlastic Off the Sofa,\u201d a track from Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Renaissance,<\/em> which she co-wrote. Opting for a more lo-fi, jazz-leaning arrangement, Syd\u2019s rendition of the alluring track, Syd\u2019s rendition felt unmistakably hers \u2014 a key feat for a song that already has such a recognizable, Grammy-winning version (Bey\u2019s recording won best traditional R&B performance in 2023).<\/p>\n After tearing through \u201cEverything to Everyone\u201d and a particularly fiery rendition of \u201cLeave Me Alone,\u201d Rapp took a brief minute to address the crowd. \u201cMy name is Ren\u00e9e Rapp,\u201d she proclaimed. \u201cAnd welcome to my crash out!\u201d<\/p>\n Obviously a tongue-in-cheek welcome message, Rapp\u2019s quip also felt decidedly apt. One of the main attractions of Bite Me<\/em> is how it revels in unadulterated outspokenness and confrontation \u2014 so, in simpler terms, the album is a musical \u201ccrash out.\u201d If we\u2019re going by TikTok\u2019s definition of the term, that is.<\/p>\n In \u201cAt Least I\u2019m Hot,\u201d the night\u2019s final song, the second verse is a call-and-response between Rapp and her girlfriend, fellow acclaimed recording artist Towa Bird: \u201cHow ya doin\u2019, Nay?<\/em>\/ I\u2019ve been doin\u2019 real bad\/ Damn, but you look so fit<\/em>\/ W\u0435ll, I can guarantee that.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday night, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Rapp\u2019s Tony-winning former Sex Lives<\/em> co-star, and Alexander 23<\/a>, the track\u2019s 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 \u2014 but somehow, Rapp pulled it off.<\/p>\n There are two things everyone should know about Ren\u00e9e Rapp: She\u2019s 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\u2019s most impressive moments.<\/p>\n After slaying \u201cDaddy Lessons\u201d during soundcheck, Rapp performed a full cover of Queen Bey\u2019s \u201cEgo,\u201d a track from her 2008 I Am\u2026 Sasha Fierce<\/em> 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<\/a>. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know that song, you\u2019re too young,\u201d she joked after basking in the rapturous applause. \u201cI love Beyonc\u00e9!\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview last year, Rapp gushed<\/a> over receiving a bouquet of flowers from Beyonc\u00e9, citing her as \u201cthe 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, \u2018Please, Jesus, let me be able to do this.\u2019\u201d Later that year, Queen Bey named<\/a> Rapp as one of her favorite \u201cfemale singers-songwriters who are out right now.\u201d It looks like there\u2019s no end in sight for this love fest, and that\u2019s just the way it should be!<\/p>\n Sure, \u201cLeave Me Alone\u201d was the explosive opener and \u201cAt Least I\u2019m Hot\u201d brought the whole thing home, but the true show-stopping vocal performance of the night belonged to two non-Bite Me<\/em> tracks: \u201cIn the Kitchen\u201d and \u201cSnow Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n When Rapp debuted with \u201cIn the Kitchen\u201d 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 \u2014 seriously, to perform such a demanding song with such accuracy and conviction well over an hour into the show is nothing to scoff at \u2014 Rapp\u2019s eyes told the whole story.<\/p>\n Now three years and two studio albums removed from its release, \u201cIn the Kitchen\u201d stands as the song that properly launched the pop star known as Rene\u00e9 Rapp. Not only is it the musical embodiment of her decision to depart from the acting world, but \u201cIn the Kitchen\u201d also remains a soaring, heartbreaking ballad that now soundtracks Rapp\u2019s \u201cI made it\u201d moment. As she scanned the jam-packed arena near the song\u2019s end, even her smoky eyeshadow couldn\u2019t hide the tears welling up in her eyes \u2014 and that emotion resonated with every fan in the building, old and new alike.<\/p>\n Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js<\/a> At just 25 years old, Rene\u00e9 Rapp boasts a box office-topping movie (Mean Girls), a hit TV show (HBO\u2019s The Sex Lives of College Girls) and a No. 1 album (2025\u2019s Bite Me debuted atop Album Sales). On Monday night (Sept. 29), the vocal powerhouse added another notch to her belt: her first headlining show … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Renee-Rapps-Bite-Me-Tour-Rocks-New-York-Citys-Madison.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4736"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4738,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4736\/revisions\/4738"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Syd Flaunts Range During Opening Set<\/h2>\n
\u201cWelcome to My Crash Out!\u201d<\/h2>\n
Alyah Chanelle Scott & Alexander 23 Cameos<\/h2>\n
Rene\u00e9 Proudly Displays Beyhive Badge<\/h2>\n
\u201cIn the Kitchen\u201d<\/h2>\n
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