Like everyone, I fell in love with Chappell’s music the moment I heard it earlier this year. Her music’s whimsical, upbeat cadence and heartfelt lyrics make her album a go-to listen. Unapologetically queer and unwilling to change for anyone, Chappell is a breath of fresh air.
After a summer jam-packed with festival performances such as Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, Chappell returned to Tennessee on Oct. 1 at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin. Taking place in a 7,500-capacity venue, this concert sold out almost immediately after tickets went on sale. While I was disappointed to not get tickets initially, I also expected this due to Chappell’s incredible popularity.
That is until I was scrolling Instagram one day and saw an announcement on Chappell’s story announcing that her team was canceling tickets that had been scalped and resold for higher than face value. This allowed real fans to enter a lottery system through Ticketmaster for a chance to buy the rereleased tickets. As soon as I saw this, I signed up and requested two tickets. A week later, I got the email that I had received the tickets, and my roommate and I were ready to go.
The FirstBank Amphitheater is a small venue located in a reclaimed quarry. It was a beautiful, clear night and the house was packed. The venue is perfectly sized and there is not a bad seat in the house. We were seated in the center of the amphitheater with the perfect view of the stage.
Because Chappell’s stage persona is heavily influenced by drag culture, she forgoes the typical openers and invites drag queens to perform before her set. A trio of drag queens named local Coqueta, Aquamarine and Miss Alexa Noelle came onstage to perform popular dance-pop anthems from the 2010s. I’m used to seeing drag in more intimate clubs and bars, but I loved seeing the queen shine in a larger setting. This was an insight into the local drag scene of conservative Middle Tennessee and a reminder to continue supporting the community.
The air was humming as we waited for Chappell to make her appearance. The already-packed amphitheater was becoming even fuller as the final audience members made their way in. An announcement came up on the stage screens announcing that the set time was being pushed to 9:30 as the final fans made their way through traffic.
Soon, the lights came down and the stage lit up. Chappell’s band took the stage and began playing the intro to the hit single, “Femininomenon.” Chappell came on stage dressed in a camo ball gown to fit the night’s theme of “Midwest Princess.” She was stunning and captivating, completely owning the venue as all eyes were upon her. Her vocals were clear and perfect, sounding the same as (if not better than) she does on the album.
The crowd danced and sang (yelled) along as she transitioned into the next songs, “Naked in Manhattan,” and “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” From there, she played “Love Me Anyway,” an older song that was released years before her album was released. While this song is not on Midwest Princess, it was still a hit of the night with everyone knowing the words.
From there, Chappell played the romantic, sensual, “Picture You.” The green Statue of Liberty wig she wore at the Governor’s Ball Festival in New York City hung to the side on her microphone stand. During the song’s most sultry notes, Chappell put on a show pretending that the stand was her lover. At the end of the song, Chappell, joked, “That’s the wig from when I was the Statue of Liberty. She was fucked up then and she is fucked up now.”
The tempo picked up again when Chappell said, “I wanna teach you all a dance.” The audience was at full attention as she walked us through the dance to “HOT TO GO!” Rushes of emotion hit me at various points throughout the evening, but this was perhaps the most unexpected one. As we danced through the song, pure elation rushed through me and I couldn’t help but tear up. I had spent the summer watching videos of her festival sets and dreaming of being part of the crowds of people who loved this music. Now, I was living that dream with one of my closest friends, and it was hard to imagine a more perfect moment.
Chappell continued to work her way through the set with other hits like, “After Midnight.” After that song was over, she addressed the crowd again, saying, “I know how hard it is to be queer in the Midwest and South. And I understand. And so, I’m very grateful that I can be here and show up… And I just have to remind myself that this is why I do it…”
“I can see you and feel you. I needed this so bad when I was 15. I felt so completely misunderstood and alone. I hope you know that you are wanted here and you are welcomed here. However you are and wherever you are in your life… you are loved and you are cherished.”
The saying, “love you, cherish you,” was a staple in my household growing up, so hearing those words from one of my favorite artists was a beautiful feeling. This speech was an important reminder to continue fighting for the LGBTQ+ community, especially in places like the South. While so much wonderful progress has been made, there is still so much more to do.
Before the song “Kaleidoscope,” a tender ballad about the emotions behind unrequited love, Chappell sat at her keyboard, She took a deep breath before admitting, “Every night I think about taking this song off the setlist.” As she began to play, the song's emotion was evident in her voice.
She then played her unreleased song, “Subway,” which she debuted at Gov. Ball in June. While I had never heard the song, it was clear that many audience members had listened to a fan-recorded version of it online as many people were singing along. A ballad of lost love, Chappell’s stellar vocals shined brightly during the song and made us all hungry for the studio version.
The pace picked back up at the end of the set with the shimmery, fun pop songs, including, “Red Wine Supernova,” “Good Luck, Babe!” and “My Kink is Karma.” For the encore, Chappell returned to the stage to sing, “California” and the fan-favorite, “Pink Pony Club.”
“Pink Pony Club” is a very important song to me personally and has always made me feel seen. As an Arizona native now living in Tennessee far from family, the lines, “Don’t think I’ve left you all behind / I still love you and Tennessee / You’re always on my mind,” have always moved me very deeply. The song’s message of finding a place to call your own and grow into yourself is poignant and beautiful. Hearing it live filled me with so much emotion and as we walked back to my car once the night was over, I was so grateful for everything that had led to this point.
Chappell Roan is a powerhouse that I am so proud to support. In her rapid rise to fame, it has become harder and harder to get a ticket to her shows, so being able to see her in such an intimate venue was a truly special experience. I would love to see her again, but until then, I will be cheering her on at home.
Written By Tessa Brainard
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.