Slayyyter Slaughters Final North American Show of Scintillating Wor$t Girl in the World Tour in NYC: 5 Best Moments

Slayyyter is on top of the world right now, and her two-night stint in NYC this weekend showed why.

On Saturday (Oct. 3) and Sunday (Oct. 4), the Missouri-born pop star mounted the final North American shows of her ongoing Wor$t Girl in the World tour at Terminal 5 and Brooklyn Paramount, respectively. Backed by an impressively tight band and a set that brought to life key music video motifs and imagery from her Wor$t Girl in America era, Slayyyter slayed her Brooklyn show, delivering roof-raising vocals, crisp hairography (another star student of Sasha Fierce has emerged), snazzy costume changes and rollicking arrangements that amped up the electro-punk -meets-nu-metal backbone of her breakthrough LP.

Standing at a healthy 21 tracks, Slayyyter’s tour setlist features all 14 songs from Wor$t Girl in America, with the only additional tracks (“Nekromantic,” “Hymn” and “I Think He’s Got a Girl”) being peeks at that record’s forthcoming “brother album,” Wor$t Man in America. Of course, she also performs her remix of Turnstile’s “Birds” and “Broke B—h Freestyle,” an unreleased track she’s played live for years and finally dropped as a surprise standalone single shortly after the release of Wor$t Girl.

If the setlist didn’t make it clear, then Slayyyter’s art direction and costume design certainly underscored that she’s truly all-in on this Wor$t Girl/Man in America era. She didn’t play any full songs from earlier in her catalog — that’s two albums, one mixtape and one EP’s worth of material! — and barely bantered with the crowd, opting instead to tear through her setlist with raging, sexy rockstar energy. From the general Midwest gothic feel of her immersive set to the trailer park Playbunny costumes, Slayyyter has fine-tuned one of the most visually alluring and intellectually interesting aesthetics in contemporary pop music — and she’s only interested in exploring that realm at the moment. That level of commitment — let alone the intense physicality of her stage show — is what makes Slayyyter such a compelling pop performer and such a fresh presence in the space.

And, of course, Wor$t Girl in America still sounds as rich and explosive in October as it did upon its release this spring. The album arrived on March 27 via Columbia Records, debuting atop Dance Albums and reaching No. 22 on the Billboard 200. Two of the album’s singles reached the Dance/Pop Songs chart: “Dance…” (No. 7) and “Crank” (No. 12), the latter of which earned a sequel titled “Crank 2” last month. Both “Crank 2” and “Brand New Chanel$” — which marked her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 98) — will appear on Wor$t Man in America, a project Slayyyter describes as a “deeper, more emotional,” eight-track “inverse album,” though not all the songs are direct flips of Wor$t Girl tracks.

The Wor$t Girl in the World Tour resumes on Oct. 18 at Paris’ Le Trianon. The trek’s European leg will take Slayyyter to major cities such as Prague, Berlin and Manchester before concluding on Nov. 5 at London’s Roundhouse.

From Finnish electronic duo Pearly Drops kicking off the night with its cinematic opening set to the rousing finale of “Beat Up Chanel$,” the Wor$t Girl in the World Tour North American finale was one of the year’s most thrilling pop shows.

Here are the five best moments of Slayyyter’s Wor$t Girl in the World Tour stop in Brooklyn, New York.

• Stage Design Transports Sold-Out Crowd

  We may have been packed into Brooklyn Paramount like sardines, but the moment the lights came up on the Wor$t Girl in the World tour stage — we were squarely in Slayyyter’s trailer park glam, Midwest gothic fantasia. After a prayer narration — the same one that introduces “Brittany Murphy” on Wor$t Girl in America — Slayyyter entered the stage via a house set-up complete with a front door, windows, a porch, and an unmistakable cross. Plastic armchairs and red coolers (emblazoned with her Wor$t dollar sign logo) littered the background, and half of her backing band played atop a blue pickup truck with a clothesline waving behind them and a street lamp towering above. By the time Slayyyter got to “Unknown Loverz,” she stood atop a carousel horse as bubbles filled the stage and enveloped the first few rows of the crowd. This is how you transport an audience for one head-banging hour. — KYLE DENIS

• “BIRDS (SLAYYYTER VERSION)”

  Slayyyter has a strong understanding of her fan base and the artists they connect with. Throughout the North American leg of her tour, she has incorporated her version of “Birds” by Turnstile into her setlist, a choice that resonated particularly well. Most of the room already knew the lyrics, creating an exciting moment of audience participation and highlighting the overlap between Slayyyter’s audience and Turnstile’s fan base. (Notably, Turnstile played “Birds” during the band’s Saturday Night Live debut the same night Slayyyter shut down Terminal 5.)

  By including her remix, Slayyyter not only flaunted her spin on another artist’s work but also introduced some of her audience to an act a bit sonically removed from her catalog. The crowd’s enthusiastic reaction showed just how well the choice landed. There is something especially exciting about seeing an artist put their spin on a song by a band they genuinely seem to listen to and appreciate — especially when that selection is such an awesome collaboration. — KRISTEN WISNESKI

• Trailer Park Playbunny Couture

  Slayyyter’s stage costumes — which she frequently makes herself — were a smart, genuine extension of her Wor$t Girl/Man in America universe. From an “I LOVE NYYYC” cap to a bejeweled, vintage Vegas showgirl bodysuit, Slayyyter’s outfits were clearly tailored for the finale of the tour’s North American leg while still leaning into the secondhand glamour of the project’s overall aesthetic. And though she kept the flannels backstage this time around, one bodysuit leaned heavily on plaid detailing — another callback to the Midwest fashion that grounds the project’s visual world.

  The best costume, however, just so happened to be the first — and it’s all because of the details. Slayyyter kicked off the show with “Dance…” in a black leotard, complete with black bunny ears (a nod to both the more sexed-up lyricism of her earlier work and the current era’s Bunny Man character) and a giant, blue Wor$t Man in America ribbon tied around her waist. Add in the real-life Bunny Man and Wor$t Man in America banner that greeted fans as they exited the venue, and you’ve got quite the buzzy tour finale. — K.D.

• More ‘Wor$t Man in America’ Teases

  Slayyyyter had the crowd buzzing when she asked, “Hey Brooklyn, do you want to hear an unreleased song?” Although she did not reveal the title of the track, the announcement immediately sparked excitement throughout the audience. Fans were eager to get a first listen to music that has yet to be officially released, especially considering how familiar many of them are with her existing catalog. Known for their dedication, many Slayyyyter fans in the crowd could be heard singing along to nearly every song performed throughout the night, making the opportunity to hear something completely new even more special.

  Here are the unreleased songs Slayyyter played at her final North American show of the Wor$t Girl in the World Tour: “Nekromantic,” “Hymn” and “I Think He’s Got a Girl.” — K.W.

• Beat Up — And Brand New — Chanel$!

  “Brand New Chanel$” and “Beat Up Chanel$” served as the two encore songs, making for a fitting close to the North American leg. While “Beat Up Chanel$” launched Slayyyter’s third album, “Brand New Chanel$” arrived as the lead single for her fourth, directly flipping the “beat-up” concept into something “brand-new” through the lens of betrayal. Played back-to-back, the songs gave fans two distinct tones while tracing the evolution of Slayyyter’s sound and artistry. Both have become defining tracks in her career, with many fans discovering her through one or the other, making their placement at the end of the show feel especially nostalgic and full-circle. — K.W.