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Clusters of mid-20 to mid-30-year-olds spread throughout downtown Clearwater’s spacious BayCare Sound. Many of them slung a tote bag reading “I went to a Remi Wolf concert and it changed my life a little bit,” showing support for Thursday night’s headlining act, additionally backing the sentiment that this generation of female pop stars–and live shows in general–possess the capability to positively impact the moods and lives of their audience.

As the sun descended, casting a gorgeous coral and lilac backdrop, Wolf’s Big Ideas tour intro bellowed throughout the open-air venue. A recorded audio intro spoken by Wolf herself implored the audience to put away their phones and give in to the night’s promise of “wonder, pleasure, and leisure.”

A five-piece band walked on stage, each wearing an idiosyncratic outfit, relaying the message to wick away negativity from others while immersing yourself into full creative expression. The opening number, “Cherries and Cream,” contained a 38-second musical intro, a perfect tension builder for one of the most riveting parts of a live show: welcoming the headliner on stage.

The 29-year-old indie-pop, soul-pop mastermind popped onstage, dressed in a dark green Seal Beach jersey, a flowy skirt layered over maroon pants, and her curly locks thrown against her head, unafraid to high-kick across the catwalk. Performers choose their outfits for a few reasons: to look good, to express themselves, and to give a slight insight into their brain waves. And Wolf’s distinctive getup invited concert-goers into the carefree attitude accompanying her upbeat, soulful discography.

Wolf breezed through selections from her newest album, Big Ideas, the tour’s namesake, like “Cinderella” and “Pitiful”, ending the opening trio with an announcement.

“What the fuck is up, Clearwater?” Wolf screeched, followed by a collective burst of screams and squeals. The singer continued, explaining how she and her repertoire journeyed to town for the sole purpose of “play[ing] a motherfucking show for you…It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s sticky, and I’m ready to fucking go,” she nodded to the 70% humidity glazing the salt air.

Certain critics and pessimists formulate the idea that female performers need to supplement their acts by showing off their bodies, through methods like twerking, or showing midriff, or too much body; Wolf responds to that critique with humor. She subjects the male audience members to join in on the silly exercises. She even brought her two male bandmates to the front of the stage to demonstrate how “loose” she wanted her Clearwater fans to get during the show. The three of them twerked for the crowd, wicking away any preconceived notions about female performers and throwing up a big fuck-you to critics who give into said reductive opinion.

Whatever backlash that exercise could stir up was canceled out by a vocal exercise that would follow. Wolf uttered call and response vocal warmups, exhibiting clean falsettos, and the “Defying Gravity” riff that had theatre kids in a chokehold until last November (coincidentally, Cynthia Erivo performs with The Florida Orchestra tonight).

Without outright stating the issues plaguing her mind, Wolf took a moment to speak to the crowd about her distaste with the current state of the world, briefing “Michael.” Her anecdote acknowledged the fact that the tune permits her to exemplify her anger in a safe space which to her, signifies the ultimate act of rebellion in “this time of complete and utter fuckery.”

A cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” cleansed the palate for the third act of the night, a disco-heavy nod to “songs about “having sex repeatedly in hotel rooms,” and Wolf’s first ever released song, “Guy,” a 2019 disco-meets-lo-fi installment about her aging dog.

Final songs and encores typically follow chart noise, meaning the last song you hear from an artist is the first one you think of when their name comes to mind. For Wolf, her admitted, not actual, final song “Soup,” highlights what it means to explore a love affair with good intentions, albeit not full commitments. That aura of kinetic energy Wolf alluded to during the group exercises realized itself when a large group of concert-goers formed a communal “Ring Around the Rosie” circle during the final few choruses of the main set closer.

“I don’t want to live without you,” a repeated line in the beloved track lingered with the crowd after Wolf departed the stage. Yet, the house lights never went on, and she jumped back on stage for a solo version of her Dominic Fike duet “Photo ID.” And the venue even mistakenly switched the house lights on halfway through the encore, though Wolf hardly noticed, a testament to her star power.

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This article appears in May 1-7, 2025.