From a recent run as Olivia Rodrigo’s opening act on the Guts World Tour, to her latest release of her new single “Good Luck, Babe!,” you may have recently started to hear the name Chappell Roan circulating around. And if you haven’t, it’s time you should: Chappell Roan, who has recently been receiving praise as “the queer pop moment,” is an up-and-coming songwriter and pop star. Her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, full of infectious pop beats and vulnerable ballads alike, was released this past September, though she has been dropping singles off this album beginning as early as 2020.
THE BUILDUP!
I was lucky enough to secure tickets back in November for Chappell’s April 3, 2024 show at College Street Music Hall in New Haven. As the countdown to the show grew smaller and smaller, I began growing even more excited to hear all of my favorite Midwest Princess songs performed live. One special thing about her shows is that they are all themed based off of the vibes of one of her songs. As mentioned in the post linked below, her spring 2024 show themes were all inspired by one of the following songs: “Pink Pony Club,” “My Kink is Karma,” or “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” While you can’t go wrong with any of these themes, I was especially excited when I learned that my show was selected as “My Kink is Karma,” my favorite song of hers. To honor Chappell’s devilish attire in the song’s music video, I was able to repurpose a devil costume from a past Halloween to fit the theme.
Another unique element of Chappell’s headline shows is that she employs local drag performers to get the crowd’s energy up before her performance. This benefits not only the audience (as it was like getting two shows in one!), but also emphasizes Chappell’s support for local fellow LGBTQ+ performers by giving them a larger platform and encouraging donations for their performances. Linked below is a snippet of the energy that one of the drag queens of the night, Lulu Levity, brought to the venue. Overall, all three performers were amazing and their set was one of the most memorable parts of the night!
CHAPPELL’S SET
After much anticipation, Chappell came out in full force with an energetic album opener, “Femininomenon.” As a perfect embodiment of the energy of Chappell’s music as a whole, this was the perfect song to set the tone for the rest of the concert, getting the audience even more excited for the tracks to come. Next, she immediately went into “Naked in Manhattan” and “After Midnight” to keep the vibes going. These three initial songs got the show off to a strong start, bringing up the energy levels in the venue with upbeat instrumentals and easy sing-along lyrics.
After that, Chappell transitioned into a couple of her slower songs: “Picture You” and “Casual.” While I love both tracks, the performance of “Casual” was my most anticipated, as this has been one of my favorites since it was released as a single in 2022. The bridge and outro of this song, in particular, had me screaming the lyrics louder than any other. In a crowd of hundreds of other Chappell fans having this same emotional release, getting to hear this song live so was an extremely cathartic experience.
To bring the mood back up after those slower tracks, Chappell introduced “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” with a flawless transition into the song’s iconic spoken word intro. This song was so fun to scream along to, and perfectly set up her next performance of “HOT TO GO!” For those of you who are unfamiliar with this upbeat hit, Chappell instructs the crowd before every performance on how to do the dance during the chorus (see below). It was so refreshing to see how engaged Chappell gets with her audience, and so fun to dance along with her! From here, she moved into yet another high-energy track, “Guilty Pleasure.” This song is (in my opinion) the most underrated off of her debut album, so I was pumped to scream along to it.
Here marks another pivot towards some more tender performances, those of “Coffee” and “Kaleidoscope.” These elegant tracks were so beautifully performed, really highlighting Chappell’s vocal capabilities. Next, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a familiar song not off of Chappell’s album: “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga! This song was perfect for her to cover since the entire crowd already knew the lyrics and it perfectly fit the vibe of the show — Lady Gaga would be proud. She followed up with another enjoyable performance of a track not from Midwest Princess, “Love Me Anyway,” which was released as a single in 2020.
With one final non-album track, my crowd was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of “Good Luck, Babe!” just two days before its official release. I was eagerly awaiting this performance after seeing her tease it on social media leading up to the show, which made me even more excited to hear it on Spotify a couple of days later. I’ve had this song on repeat ever since and will be forever grateful I got to experience it live before it was even released into the world.
From here, Chappell dove into another one of her most popular (and one of my favorite) tracks, “Red Wine Supernova.” Her performance of this song was so fun — and impressive, given her ability to run and sing at the same time (as shown in the TikTok below!). Next was my aforementioned favorite song, “My Kink is Karma.” This felt extra special at the New Haven show, given our theme; Chappell herself even proclaimed, “This is your song!” to the audience between the first chorus and the second verse.
The final two songs were played as Chappell’s encore. Though bittersweet, both “California” and “Pink Pony Club” were amazing performances. The first song, “California,” highlighted her raw talent by again emphasizing her vocal strengths. “Pink Pony Club” was the perfect closer, capping off the night as not only a high-energy, singalong track but also a sort of tribute to the drag culture that so heavily inspires Chappell’s persona as a whole.
conclusion
I can confidently say Chappell exceeded the (already high!) expectations I was holding for the show, and I couldn’t be happier. While her stage presence and vocals commanded the crowd’s attention, I admire how the performer was also still able to interact with the audience, creating a safe space for everybody to express themselves and enjoy the concert. I am so thankful I got the opportunity to see Chappell perform in such an intimate venue, as I’m sure her rise to fame will land her much larger audiences in the near future. If you’re not already, be sure to check out The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and keep an eye out for whatever Chappell has in store for her fans next!