Remi Wolf’s Golden Hour-Soaked Performance at Firefly Music Festival

While traveling to Dover, Delaware for the four-day Firefly Music Festival this past weekend, my friends and I kept repeating the sentence, “I can’t wait for Remi Wolf.” Each of us had been to The Woodlands for the festival at least once in previous years, but each year is different — and Firefly Festival 2021 in particular felt like a jolt out of the languish that was brought on by the pandemic. Dancing alongside strangers is a particular kind of therapy.

There was, of course, a long list of performers that I looked forward to seeing onstage, but Remi Wolf was high on that list. I was first made aware of her and her music when my friend Anne sent me “Disco Man.” Texting Spotify links back and forth is something we do regularly. After memorizing every word, adding the song to multiple collaborative playlists and dancing alone to the “I’m Allergic To Dogs!” EP throughout quarantine, I knew I was in for a good show.

Saturday, Remi hit the festival’s Wonder Stage with golden hour sunlight beaming like a natural spotlight in her direction. Wearing a blue and white striped sweater vest, plaid patterned pants, pink UGG boots and a pink trucker hat with the words “Deep funk and divine intervention” written over her forehead. She was small in height, but her voice was huge. I was blown away by her stage presence and vocal range.

Sadly, my personal favorite, “Monte Carlo,” wasn’t performed, but recent singles like “Liquor Store” and “Liz” were big crowd pleasers. My friend Paige was most looking forward to hearing “Down The Line,” which wasn’t on the setlist either — showing just how deep Remi’s collection of bops goes. For the song “Photo ID,” Dominic Fike (who was playing the main stage later that day) joined her on to perform their duet. Both are only 25 years old and I could tell they were having so much fun performing together. When it came time for Dominic to leave the stage, Remi gave him a big bear hug and prompted the audience to cheer “DOM-IN-IC! DOM-IN-IC!” Sigh — if only Sylvan Esso had played Saturday as well instead of the night before, I am sure we would’ve been lucky enough to enjoy this “Rufufus” remix performed live.

Even if you don’t know any of the songs previously mentioned, you would have absolutely enjoyed her break to do covers of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” and “Electric Feel” by MGMT. When it came time for “Sexy Villain,” the intro began before she immediately cut off the band for a moment of sheer honesty.

“Alright you guys, I’ve been having real issues with this song lately onstage,” she said. “It’s something weird. I’m going to play a different song instead.”

She then immediately went into “Sauce.” All the while, the crowd was cheering her on. 

The interruption made the performance feel even more genuine, and personally, I enjoy seeing impromptu moments at a concert. I would much rather watch someone have fun onstage and transfer that energy to the audience than see an artist perform technically perfectly. If you are looking to feel young, wild and free, I cannot recommend listening to Remi Wolf’s music enough. I’m looking forward to her returning to D.C. or nearby again so I can get more of this feeling.

To learn more about Remi Wolf, visit remiwolf.com or follow her on Instagram @remiwolf.

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