Concertgoers were surrounded by cargo pants, homemade signs and a Broadway-quality vocal performance at The Anthem on Oct. 27.
Renee Rapp, a 23-year-old vocal powerhouse, known for her performances as Regina George in the Broadway show “Mean Girls,” and Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” released her debut album Snow Angel on Aug. 18, 2023.
Her “Snow Hard Feelings” Tour started in Houston, bringing the album to the road with Alexander 23, who collaborated with her on the album, and Towa Bird, a guitarist and singer most known for her TikTok account.
Rapp’s tour brought her to the District for her biggest crowd on the tour. The sold-out show at The Anthem had around 6,000 fans in attendance, screaming the words to every song so loudly that they sometimes drowned out Rapp’s voice.
As the crowd filled in, Towa Bird hit the stage, representing the bisexuals in the venue and leading to a massive burst of energy. Shortly after, Alexander 23 performed and took selfies with the audience while they sang Taylor Swift that was playing over the speakers, waiting for Rapp to begin.
After about two hours, Rapp took the stage following a montage of childhood photos. She emerged from the wings to a stage and visuals that represented the four seasons and made the audience feel as if they had a deep look into her life.
The show opened with one of her most popular singles, “Talk Too Much,” which immediately got the crowd dancing and singing along to almost every word.
Ruby Coleman, a concert goer at The Anthem, began following Rapp after she won a Jimmy Award, given to high school students who excel in musical theater, in 2018 for Best Performance by an Actress.
“I went to Renee Rapp’s concert last year over winter break and it was in a smaller space with a maximum of five or six hundred people and it was a much more intimate concert,” Coleman said.
This show of 6,000 was a much different experience. “This concert exceeded my expectations with the sheer amount of people there and the energy in the space as well as how much she’s grown as a performer,” Coleman said.
Rapp continued the show with, “Poison, Poison” a sort of hate track dedicated to an ex-friend. Emotions were everywhere during this song and Rapp sang her TikTok viral riff to the lyrics, “You’re the worst person on earth.”
The variety of songs in the set had emotions ranging from bitter, to nostalgic to heartbroken. One of the crowd-favorites was “Pretty Girls,” a song about the bisexual experience. Rapp sported a bisexual pride flag and audience members seemed to relate, signified by the uproar when she began twirling it around and dancing across the stage.
Nina Bodanase was part of the uproar, “As a queer young woman I definitely felt safe,” she said about the concert. “It felt like everyone was very connected to Renee and her music.”
Coleman also noticed the safe space that the show created. “It was mostly queer people and female–presenting people which to me automatically made it feel like a safe space,” she said.
As the show continued, Rapp took breaks from ballads and pop-hits to look at crowd signs, one reading, “You’re my hall pass.” Coleman said, “My favorite part of her concerts is when she interacts with fans and reads the signs that people made.”
Her energy and laughter throughout the show were a good break from crying and yelling. A moment for the crowd to catch their breath in the chaos.
After ending the show, Rapp came back on stage with her ballad “Snow Angel” for an encore. Coming on stage in an all-white outfit, Rapp looked and sounded angelic as she sang her heart out one last time.