Some may know her as Regina George from “Mean Girls” and others know her as Leighton from “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” but close to 20,000 people that joined her Oct. 2 at TD Garden know her as Reneé Rapp. A modern day queer icon, Rapp brought her dazzling “Bite Me” tour to Boston in celebration of the album’s release this past August.

After Syd got the arena itching for more with her incredibly sapphic-coded opening set, the excitement only increased as the clock ticked closer to 9 p.m., when Rapp was scheduled to take the stage. But when 9 p.m. came and went, fans were left puzzled as to where the “Bite Me” sensation was. 

At 9:24 p.m., Rapp posted on her Instagram story “sorry for the delay, we’re having some technical issues we want to resolve before we start so you have the best show possible(!!) be right there love u bad xx.”

A murmur went throughout the crowd. Would it be just a few minutes, or would it be reminiscent of Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” tour (when she became notorious for being hours late to most of her shows)?

Luckily, this was not the case. At 9:39 p.m., her opening message projected onto her set’s screens announcing her partnership with Save the Children, stating “Right now, millions of children around the world are in crisis. Children in Gaza. Children in the Congo. Children in Sudan. Children everywhere.” 

Unlike many celebrities who refuse to speak out against the genocide in Gaza, such as Taylor Swift and DJ Khaled, Rapp takes advantage of her celebrity status to call out injustice. 

“I would never ask you to do something that I am not doing myself,” Rapp clarifies after encouraging her fans to donate, “so I am donating right alongside you.” 

Only minutes later, the stage blazed red as curtains drew open to finally reveal Rapp posed on a tall pillar shrouded in curtains. The lead single “Leave Me Alone” put the audience into a frenzy. 

Rapp kept the audience on their toes the entire night. “Jayson Tatum is here!” She proclaimed, after her opening songs, and when the audience grew to a roar, she let it last a few seconds before giving a sly grin and adding, “He’s not here,” to which laughter ensued.

If there was any doubt about Rapp’s dedication to her fans because of her late entrance, it was quickly erased. She kept the show incredibly personal to her audience. Her kisscam during “Kiss It Kiss It” brought shrieks of cheers. For her slower-paced song “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore”, she sat at the tip of her star-shaped stage and sang it directly to those in the front row, even complimenting one girl’s smile.

Rapp may be “the only girl I find hot,” as one concertgoer put it, but she should not be mistaken for shallow. Sitting on her piano, she told the audience the hardships she went through with a particular friendship breakup a few years ago – hardships many of us can relate to. 

“They feel much like losing a romantic partner, except there’s some sort of different kind of like knife-in-the-stomach level of betrayal,” said Rapp. 

She went on to tell how this betrayal inspired “Poison Poison” — a song on her first album full of anger and fury. 

“I wanted to write a song on this album, ‘Bite Me,’ that was like the 25-year-old version of that which was accessing more of the feeling of like genuine disappointment and love that I had for this person,” said Rapp.

This offered the audience an incredible behind-the-scenes glimpse into the song she was introducing: “That’s So Funny”.

Even as the show was drawing to a close, there was never a dull moment. For the finale, the upbeat “Not my Fault” from Mean Girls, featuring Megan Thee Stallion, brought the arena to a roar. But halfway through, Rapp unexpectedly started insisting the band stop playing. 

“Okay, okay, just stop. Cut it, cut it, seriously,” said Rapp. She then turned to stare directly into the camera; she joked about quitting, and that she was done with music. “Play something fun,” she told the band after a few moments. The band began playing “At Least I’m Hot,” the ninth track from “Bite Me,” and she launched into this song, forgetting about “Not My Fault.” 

For new and old fans alike, Rapp made Thursday night unforgettable, being one of the loudest concerts to hit TD Garden. Rapp is an incredibly talented performer who knows how to put on a show that is all at once sexy, funny and from the heart.

The “Bite Me” tour will conclude March 22 in Dublin, Ireland after a total of 25 shows.