“Quiet on set!” came Remi Wolf’s impassioned command at The Warfield in San Francisco on Sept. 15. But instead of a hush falling over the crowd, her words further amplified the already palpable energy in the room as she kicked off the sparkling third night of her Gwingle Gwongle Tour.
The 26-year-old Bay Area local mastered such a whimsical vibrancy that she almost seemed like a caricature of herself. Between high kicks, ass shaking and bubbles that matched her bubbly onstage personality, Wolf infused The Warfield with effortless effervescence.
Her performance continued to build in spirit and talent with “Sexy Villain,” the most popular single off of her 2021 album Juno. Springing around onstage between large psychedelic Alice-in-Wonderland-esque flowers while wearing a “Busch Beer” graphic T-shirt and an explorer’s hiking hat, she was certainly larger than life.
Wolf is multifaceted, but first and foremost, it’s clear she’s a performer. From her easy banter with her fans to her acrobatic tricks — an impressive cartwheel stoked the fire under the crowd — she was a natural, seemingly born to be under the spotlight.
Other highlights included a spunky rendition of Frank Ocean’s “Pink + White” and a session where Wolf took to the drums to show off yet another of her many skills while her drummer Conor Malloy chanted positive affirmations for the crowd to repeat in earnest. “I am loved just for being who I am! My happy thoughts will become my reality!” echoed the hyper enthusiastic crowd of 20-somethings, just another instance of Wolf’s contagious sanguinity.
The confidence-boosting quickly shifted into a different kind of hype session when Malloy began chanting about “Dua Lipa fall.” “I don’t know what that means,” he said, by way of explanation. “But we saw her, and we liked it.”
It’s clear that the people who inspire Wolf are her lifeblood, the inner fruit of her performance. Names are a big deal to her. “Do I have any Elizabeths in the audience tonight?” she asked in the introduction to “Liz,” a soulful song inspired by a close friend. Three audience members wildly waved their hands. “To my three girlies, this one’s for you!” Wolf exclaimed.
The satisfying rasp of her voice was proof that her talent shone through just as effortlessly as her energy, especially as she belted out the names of people who inspired her — Liz, Michael. Her impressive rendition of “Michael,” accompanied by an anecdote about an obsession with a guy she’d met at a party so intense that it allegedly led to a restraining order, was not the first moment in the night that would lend itself just as well to a comedy show as it did a concert.
The mixed bag vibrancy of her performance saturated fans’ excitement and devotion. Pre-encore chants of “Remi! Remi! Remi!” resounded as Wolf took a moment to thank the crowd, adding humility to her long list of praiseworthy traits.
“I wouldn’t be on this stage and with all these beautiful boys, and this tree, the beautiful bubbles and the lights if it weren’t for you guys supporting me, and letting me be myself, and letting me be f— weird.” Wolf said. “And look at all you guys! You’re all beautiful and f— weird, too.”
Her weirdness properly acknowledged, she finished her encore with the crowd-favorite “Disco Man,” bouncing in perfect rhythm to the pulsing of the lights and ending the show with the final burst of energy the crowd craved. And in an act of parallelism to the forest of flowers that towered behind her, Wolf bloomed.
Step aside, Dua Lipa. It’s Remi Wolf fall now.
