A midwestern princess takes on the Midwest Princess Tour.
Singer-songwriter Chappell Roan delivers an electric performance at the House of Blues.
taken by Alyssa Manthi & Joseph Mooney.
Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, better known by her “drag name,” Chappell Roan, is a singer-songwriter from the itty-bitty town of Willard, Missouri. Her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, was released this past September, and this fall, Roan embarked on her Midwest Princess Tour. On October 5th, 2023, Firebird Magazine had the pleasure of attending her second night show in Chicago at the historic House of Blues venue.
The night before the concert, I reached out to a friend who had already been to the tour for advice on what to expect. The only guidance she offered was, “Wear pink!” As soon as I walked into the venue, I immediately understood what she meant — it was like a scene straight out of Barbie. Roan is not one to hold back, whether that be in her lyrics or her stage presence. Each show is unique, having pre-planned themes posted on Instagram beforehand (hence the aforementioned pink explosion). She also invited local drag queens to be her openers in each city as an homage to her first time attending The Abbey, an iconic gay bar in West Hollywood. As she watched the go-dancers, Roan realized she could live freely as a queer woman for the first time in her life.
taken by Alyssa Manthi & Joseph Mooney.
As Roan spoke with the crowd, she emphasized, “It’s so important to me to bring these themes to your towns.” As an openly queer woman from a small midwestern town, growing up in her conservative Christian family was not the easiest for Roan. “I wanna give people a safe space to dress up and not be made fun of for dressing up. I keep doing this project simply because I know there are 14-year-old versions of me out there that need this.” We all cheered as she went on to say, “I’m very grateful that I have a lot of the queer community behind me. Queer love — it needs to exist and be protected.”
I was born in New Hampshire, but I have spent the majority of my life living in the northwestern suburbs of Illinois, right on the border of Wisconsin. Although not as small of a town as Willard, it’s a much more common occurrence than I would like to drive by a cornfield or grazing cows. No matter how much I attempt to evade it, I’ll always be a Midwesterner through and through. Standing at the show, I found myself relating to just about every song. When Roan announced, “This is a song about falling in love with your best friend and it not working out,” before breaking out into “Kaleidoscope,” I felt a pang in my heart that, prior to this, was only reserved for “Waiting Room” by Phoebe Bridgers. As a young queer person now living in an open-minded big city, I find it hard to reconcile all these parts of myself. From growing up in a relatively conservative and anti-LGBTQ+ community, I struggle to understand where I fit in living between these staunchly opposed worlds. However, as I stood amongst that crowd, I felt so incredibly seen. Chappell Roan is for the girls scorned by their hometowns, attempting to find themselves in this ridiculous, ever-changing world.
taken by Alyssa Manthi & Joseph Mooney.
When she launched into her final and most well-known song, “Pink Pony Club,” the energy in the room was just electric. “Pink Pony Club” is an infectious, glittery song about moving away from home and finding yourself. In an interview with People magazine, Roan remarked, “I think that people just want to be happy and reflect, sing, dance and dress up, and feel free. The [album] gives people an opportunity to express themselves without judgment and freedom to discover themselves in the same way that I feel like the project allows me to discover myself.” As she belted, “I'm gonna keep on dancing at the / Pink Pony Club,” I twirled and sang my way out of the venue with a full heart and a newfound excitement for the future of Chappel Roan. I look forward to seeing how she grows, especially as she joins Olivia Rodrigo on her Guts world tour early next year. From one Midwestern princess to another, Chappell Roan has just secured a new lifelong fan. Stream The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess on Spotify today.
edited by Joseph Mooney, Editor-in-Chief.
photos taken by Alyssa Manthi & Joseph Mooney.
