My Favorite Animal Is Remi Wolf at ACL 2024

Evelyn Lopez

Music Journalist

This past weekend was the only Texas stop for the Big Ideas Tour. A fashionable diva in a graphic tee with a tie print and camo jongs (slang for long jean shorts) is one of my favorite sets from weekend two at ACL. 

This past summer, Remi Wolf released her second album, Big Ideas (2024). An alternative pop album full of catchy hooks, funky instrumentals, and lyrics that come straight from the soul. The album features production and songwriting credits from Knox Fortune and Carter Lang. It feels raw yet cohesive and put together. During this show, she told us that she wrote this album while on tour for Juno (2021). Big Ideas is like a diary full of stories of what it was like on tour then. This album talks about being immersed in new places yet feeling alone, meeting strangers, and trying new things for the fun of it. 

It is my first time seeing Remi Wolf live, and trust me, she did not disappoint. I am all for singing along to your favorite songs at live shows; don’t get it twisted. However, Remi Wolf left me speechless multiple times throughout her set. Her voice is full of power and charm. It is not just her voice; it is also the energy and crowdwork. A true performer knows how to connect with their fans and that is what Remi Wolf accomplishes. She guides us with a pre-show vocal warm-up and group dances with jazz hands from the sky to the ground. She also showed us some moves that I would describe as feral dancing. 

I heard banger after banger. From “Liz” to “Cinderella” and “Sexy Villain,” I admire the bands ability to be in tune with one another. I can see how much fun they have and how connected they are rhythmically. Watching the band dance together and twerk together while playing their instruments was one of my favorite aspects of the show. 

During this set, I learned that the film Cars is Remi Wolf’s favorite movie. Rascal Flatts “Life Is A Highway” was covered with justice. Just as she says after the song, “Sometimes, life is a m***** f******* highway!!!”. Such a highway that the band wanted to prove they can handle the long bumpy roads that come with living, so they performed the next song, completely improvised. They needed one word from the crowd to start the next song. The word “Gymnastics” was thrown out and Remi Wolf and the band played along to a funky bass line. A raunchy, quick-witted song with lines like “Ive been going to the gym gym, gym-nasty” and “Let me show you my back routine.”

I didn’t get to hear the slower songs I love, like “Street You Live On” and “Prescription” by Remi Wolf, but “Alone in Miami” was enough. I feel blessed to have experienced this, and to me, Remi Wolf is an underdog. This feels like the year for underdogs in the music industry, and I am excited to see Remi Wolf get her flowers soon.