On Monday, Feb. 20, singer-songwriter Julia Wolf took over the iconic Schubas Tavern venue in Chicago, Ill. It was the halfway point on a debut headlining tour with multiple sold-out dates, including Chicago, and the room thrummed with the anticipatory energy of a crowd of fans ready to pour their hearts into singing Wolf’s songs back to her. Wolf’s merch table was laden with goodies—like a “F— You I’m Shy” black hoodie—that seemed like they were born straight from the grungy wood floor and hazy lights.
Opener Bronze Avery brought a captivating, bright energy that visibly entranced the crowd as he bewitched them with bops like the anthemic “Boys!” that had the whole room chanting back to him.
When Wolf took the stage, you could feel fans’ enthusiasm rippling through the air. Her connection with the diverse crowd was palpable as she delivered both throwback songs and tracks from her flawlessly executed debut album, Good Thing We Stayed, which was released on Jan. 13, 2023. Of the album, she told Keke, “There’s a span of years that exist on this album. I’ve had some of these for so long because we just knew we had to wait. I knew the album was done when I felt like everything I had to say about this journey was told. That was the whole point of this album, to show people what it’s like to go after dreams when you’re an anxious person and the things you deal with.”
On the triumphant, piano-accompanied show-opener “Rookie of the Year,” those intentions were abundantly clear. Wolf’s earnest delivery and kind smile were magnetic, inviting everyone to bask in the pure joy of an artist spreading her wings on her first solo stage.
The crowd continued proving their loyalty through a setlist that touched on past favorites like bass-heavy “High Waist Jeans” or short but sweet first single “Captions” before hitting crowd-pleasers like “Get Off My” and “Nikes” to the tune of a roomful of voices singing along.
Her sound did not disappoint, with smooth live vocals and a stage presence that was friendly and charming, like the cool girl you want to befriend. She has what you can’t fake—a sparkle that’s authentic and honest.
That honesty manifests in her weekly Instagram confessional, which she brought to the live setting with an IRL confession box that produced a standout memory from the night: a proposal.
“Wait, oh my god,” Wolf exclaimed as she scanned the confession before reading aloud a surprise proposal while a fan dropped to one knee in the crowd, and a collective gasp erupted.
“A freaking marriage proposal during Sunday confession??!! Thank you for letting me be a part of such a huge moment,” she later wrote in an Instagram caption commemorating the night.
She also caught a pair of underwear that sailed over the audience, as well as a Nike shoe which she signed and tossed back into the fray. Plus, she made good on her promise to meet at the merch table after the show, where she took time to chat with fans and sign posters and shirts.
As for the production of the show, Wolf decorated the stage with flickering candles to set the tone and appeared with a live band (who were just as beloved by fans during the show).
It was even more apparent in a live setting that Wolf is laser-sharp as an artist in the way her lyrics are as satisfyingly intricate as a rap yet as evocative as poetic singer-songwriters like Fletcher or Phoebe Bridgers, creating a vibe that is 100% her own, with a little spookiness on top for good measure. Her passion for lyricism shines through in her creative process, as she said, “It’s always lyrics first before a beat or anything. It’s usually one line that really stands out to me. Then the rest of it just works around that.” Plus, her unique vibe was informed by an eclectic collection of artists, from early Avril Lavigne and pop punk bands to Drake and Taylor Swift.
In our previous chat with Wolf over Zoom, where we discussed the tour, her new live arrangements, and what she gravitates to in music, she said:
“For me, it’s like sometimes the lyrics can totally carry a song that I don’t vibe with sonically. If there’s even one lyric in there that shakes me to my core, I will listen to that song on repeat. Definitely lyrics. And I’m very big into background harmony stacks and all those swirling vocals that happen behind the tracks. Anything really pretty like that in juxtaposition with the fact that I can’t deny a good 808 drop. I always gravitate towards that.”
Those vibes were present in her live show, and as previously promised, her encore performance of the emotional Good Thing We Stayed ballad “Sad Too Young” introduced a building, epic arrangement that inspired a new level of crowd engagement to close the show out with. The song is a tender, poignant declaration of youth that explores mental health and coming-of-age, and Wolf performing it as the finale felt like the perfect way to honor where she—and her growing fanbase—came from and where we’re all going.
As she told us when we asked what she would tell the younger version of herself who wrote dreams on bedroom walls with invisible ink: “All you can do is keep showing up for yourself, keep going.”
Stream Good Thing We Stayed here.
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