📍The Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory — Oct. 23, 2025
Written by Clinton Camper
If there’s one thing about Reneé Rapp fans, it’s that they’re willing to wait. The line outside The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory was the longest I’ve stood in all year—and I went to SXSW. It snaked around the venue in the strangest layout but somehow moved with surprising efficiency. Let’s just say I closed all my Apple Watch rings before I even made it through security.
Once inside, I was immediately greeted by a merch wall of nothing but crop tops. Every single shirt. Crop tops only. And honestly? Respect. They were actually a perfect length—long enough to make me feel secure in my manly physique, short enough to fit the Rapp aesthetic.
Ravyn Lenae opened the night with her signature velvet-smooth vocals, a soulful, floaty set that eased the crowd into the evening. She sounded flawless, but the energy in the room was quietly buzzing for the main event—you could feel the collective impatience for Reneé to hit the stage.
When the lights finally dimmed, chaos erupted. Reneé strutted out wearing a drumline-style jacket and sparkly black jeweled hot pants (or maybe just extremely confident underwear), instantly commanding the room. Her mix of Broadway poise and pop-star confidence was magnetic. The “Kiss It Kiss It” kissing cam moment had the whole crowd squealing—it was playful, over the top, and completely her.
Midway through the set, things briefly shifted. A fan in the pit fainted, and Reneé immediately stopped the show to help security spot her. As they worked through the crowd, the rest of the pit started gesturing upward like they were summoning a helicopter. “What’s above y’all?” she asked, squinting into the lights. The answer: two massive industrial fans that weren’t on. When the venue finally flipped the switch later in the show, the place erupted—like the crowd had just witnessed a miracle.
Once things settled, Reneé eased into a quieter moment. Sitting (and eventually laying) across her pianist Terence’s piano during “That’s So Funny,” she shared how she started her career simply singing with a pianist—no frills, no production—just her voice. It was funny, intimate, and a reminder that beneath all the theatrics, she’s still that same artist.
And of course, the bit everyone waits for—her mock protest during “That’s Not My Fault.” Mid-song, she stopped and announced she didn’t want to perform it anymore, giving a knowing smirk that the fans loved.
She closed with “Snow Angel,” her powerhouse ballad that left the room hushed and glowing. As confetti settled and the final notes faded, it felt like the perfect ending to a night that was equal parts concert, comedy show, and cathartic release.
It’s not every day you see a pop star stop her own set, turn on the venue fans, and still have everyone wrapped around her finger—but that’s the magic of Reneé Rapp: chaotic, self-aware, and entirely in command.