Real rockstars are so back. The proof? Remi Wolf. The alternative rock princess brought her ‘Big Ideas’ tour to Phoenix, Arizona and proved that rock n’ roll hasn’t died, it’s been reimagined.
As the stage filled with smoke and fans searched eagerly for any trace of Wolf, the mystical intro to ‘Cherries & Cream’ began. From the start of the show when Wolf burst onto stage, it was clear this would not be a sit-down-and-sway show. But fans seemed prepared and excited for the adventure.
While the setlist was composed primarily of songs from Wolf’s latest album Big Ideas, the rockstar threw in a couple surprises, such as a smooth jazz arrangement to crowd-favorite ‘Sexy Villain’, a cover of ‘Life Is A Highway’ (because her favorite movie is Cars, Wolf told us), and a mind-blowing improvised song titled ‘Help’, in which Wolf asked for a word and made up an entire song on the spot.
"In the past week I've gotten 'poo', 'foreskin', and 'p*ssy', and I can't do that sh*t anymore so does anyone have a normal word?"
One thing that is refreshing about Wolf is her willingness to be vulnerable and talk with her audience. All throughout the night, she told different stories about her life and the making of her songs. Big Ideas, she told us, was actually being made while she was on tour for her debut studio album Juno.
“I go on tour and I come back home and I write a bunch of f*cking songs and I go out on tour again and I come back home and I take all these stories I collected and gathered on the road and I put it into all these songs. So, essentially, this album is like a big f*cking journal of my life, my experiences, my sex-capades, my drug use, and all my feelings. And I’m so happy that some of you’ve listened to it.”
Before performing ‘Alone in Miami’, Wolf told fans that the story was a real life account. “I went to attend a Playboy [magazine] party, cause I’m so f*cking sexy, right? I was completely naked for five days straight. I’m kidding, I was clothed,” Wolf joked. “I was hanging out with all these crypto-bros and I was eating cubanos and I did a bunch of cocaine and I wore Gucci all week long… And I came back and had all these stories about this very demonic week- very fun but very demonic. And I wrote it into this song.”
When you watch Wolf perform, it’s easy to categorize her as a rockstar. The energy she exhibits on stage, from whiping her hair around, running from one end of the stage to the other, kicking, jumping and flailing around – she is a masterpiece on stage. Not only is she visually entertaining, bringing life to every song, but her vocals are phenomenal. Seriously, she is an absolute powerhouse vocalist and deserves way more attention. She’s mastered utilizing a more raspy sound to emphasizes certain musical parts of a song, while finding moments to allow her voice to float steadily over notes.
There was never a boring moment during Wolf’s show. While it’s obvious she doesn’t take herself seriously, something that works wonders for her on stage performance, it is clear she has a deep passion for the music she creates. That passion oozes out of her voice and jumps out of her in her movements. It is almost as if she has so much passion that the only way to express it is through song – like rock n’ roll musical theatre. Watching her perform is honestly a treat and for the entire show, fans were jumping and screaming and every one walked out with a gleaming grin.
