Review: In her hometown stop, Reneé Rapp shares a bit of ‘Southern hospitality’
“Damn, it feels good to be home.”
After a brief greeting to Charlotte and a kinetic opening trio of “Everything to Everyone,” “Leave Me Alone” and “Kiss It Kiss It,” Reneé Rapp, the Hunterville native, made acknowledgement of the special place this tour stop – her final of “Bite Me” – was to the pop sensation.
“Charlotte, if you’re extra nice to me… I’ll be nice to you too.”
Lifted up from previous shows at The Fillmore, Rapp now is filling up more than half of Spectrum Center with her star-studded (no, literally) stage engulfing the other half. What started as a small Twin Peaks (?) homage for opening act Fousheé bloomed into a radiant, moving beacon for the pop star greeting thousands of her hometown fans.
The adrenaline didn’t stop for the next collection of songs – “Poison Poison,” “Mad,” “Why is She Still Here?” – before taking a cabaret shift for “That’s So Funny.” A brief interlude into cover songs with her own rendition of “Norman F—ing Rockwell!” by Lana Del Rey and Rapp was back with her a song she said she wasn’t sure would make sense for her latest album.
By that time, she was opening up about being back home.
In an Observer interview in 2023, she said that “I’m making money on my own now, and I genuinely thought that my anxiety would just disappear, ’cause this was the goal, and I felt like when I achieved things, that those achievements become everything, and they erase the bad s—... But sadly, the bad s--- is still there.”
The star, now two years removed, said that she’s been able to fight those imposter feelings but coming home to Charlotte stirs them back up. A lot of her life was in the Queen City – “0-18 is a long ass time” – but you wouldn’t tell it from her performance.
Charlotte was graced with her “double denim” outfit as she careened back and forth across the stage shifting from absolute pop dream voguing into a more vintage rock n’ roll with her lead guitarists.
“Pretty Girls” and “In the Kitchen” brought the house up to another decibel as all the while Rapp maneuvered through the pit with a handheld camera before making it back on stage. In “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You,” she serenaded the crowd and captured a young girl near the front in tears to be so close to her idol.
It felt like the hometown girl back for homecoming but also like a pop star showing more experience and poise in her highest level of produced show yet.
In one incident when a fan needed medical attention, she cut the sound and helped staff identify where to find them. As they were helped away, she looked at the crowd and started to walk back towards the center of the stage. With a saunter and a smile she said “don’t worry, I can get mad again” before launching back into the tune.
Rapp as a performer can keep you guessing. At one point, she’s been challenged by her bassist into a twerk off and in another, she’s gliding down from above as she serenades the crowd. Her unpredictability kept the audience in their seats for longer than you would expect after she exited the stage to end the night as many wouldn’t have been surprised to see her sprint back out for one last song.
Who knows if this was her best performance of her tour, but it had to be her most genuine. With a twinkle of Southern hospitality and an adoring home crowd, it’s clear that Reneé Rapp’s next return to Charlotte could be her largest reception yet.
Set list for Reneé Rapp concert in Charlotte NC
1. Everything to Everyone
2. Leave Me Alone
3. Kiss It Kiss It
4. Talk Too Much
5. Poison Poison
6. Shy
7. Mad
8. Why Is She Still Here?
9. That’s So Funny
10. Norman F---ing Rockwell (Lana Del Rey cover)
11. Sometimes
12. Good Girl
13. Swim
14. I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone
15. I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore
16. Tummy Hurts
17. You’d Like That Wouldn’t You
18. Pretty Girls
19. In the Kitchen
20. Snow Angel
21. Not My Fault
22. At Least I’m Hot
This story was originally published November 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
