Stepping into Madison Square Garden on Monday, September 29, 2025, for the Reneé Rapp “Bite Me Tour,” was an experience that felt less like a concert and more like an insane, cultural moment. I was immediately hit with total gay panic; every LGBTQ+ feminine-presenting person, it seemed, was in the building, and I was absolutely not complaining. The infectious energy was validating and overwhelming in the best way possible.
The night started with opener Syd, who brought her chill R&B vibes to the stage. Her music was fantastic, but the sweetest part of her set was how she kept shouting out her wife in the stands; it was a small, sentimental moment that totally melted the crowd.
The communal atmosphere of the venue made me want to participate in the Renee rapp-tour TikTok trend of setting a dating app to a one-mile radius to see who else was at the concert. I had to redownload Tinder just to try it, but unfortunately, the internet in the Garden was not cooperating, leaving that experiment totally unsuccessful. So lame because I’m telling you the baddies were everywhere.
The atmosphere outside was equally electric. The lines for merch were predictably long, with prices being what you’d expect for a major tour. I planned to buy the $25 poster later on the website, as it looked really cool. I then headed toward my assigned seat: Section 213, Row 22, Seat 7. It was literally the third-to-last row at the very top; you can’t get more nosebleeds than that. I bought them from tickpick, and unfortunately, the tickets weren’t exactly as advertised, but at $100, I was determined to make the most of it, as I really wanted to see Reneé perform.
Like an angel, this girintroduced herself to melf, offering the seat next to her in Section 214, Row 4. The original ticket holder had asked her mom to buy her better seats closer to the front, which was smart, but also frustrating because resale pit tickets were only $89 once I arrived! Regardless, I got a nice cute little upgrade regardless you could say.. My new seat only showed the side of the stage, but we could see backstage and still had a great view of Reneé from the side, which I enjoyed immensely.
Reneé came out around 9:10 p.m. Her stage setup was incredible, giving a fierce rock-girl era vibe. While her outfit for the night was nice, I’ve seen her have much better looks on tour. She played so many songs I loved, but my absolute favorite was “In the Kitchen.” Hearing that song and listening to her tell the story behind it live made me love it even more.
The show was a testament to her versatility. My personal hot take, which I don’t think is actually that hot, is that I love Reneé Rapp’s R&B songs so much more than her pop songs. Even hearing her sing “Ego” by Beyoncé proved it; she is so good at R&B, and I truly hope she explores more of that genre in the future. The show ended at 10:43 p.m., and while I was sad to see it end, she was a great performer. I rate the entire experience an 8.5/10.