Chappell Roan brings spunk, pink sparkles to Pittsburgh with ‘Midwest Princess’ tour

Amid a sea of pink cowboy hats, boots and sparkles at Stage AE Friday night was Chappell Roan.

The 26-year-old singer from Missouri, brought her spunky “Midwest Princess” tour to Pittsburgh, starting strong with “Femininomenon” as the opener.

She then played through “Naked In Manhattan,” “After Midnight” and “Picture You” — suggestive and catchy tunes, similar to her entire discography.

“Can you believe it?” Roan asked the audience in the middle of “Naked In Manhattan.” “We’re in Pittsburgh!”

The crowd turned on phone lights to accompany the ballad “Picture You.” The seductive lyrics were met with angelic lighting and presentation during the number.

The tour showcases all the songs from her 2023 debut album titled “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Roan was bubbly and energetic throughout her set, running and skipping around the stage.

She also played “Casual” and “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” which garnered high energy from the audience.

At the beginning of “HOT TO GO!,” Roan taught the dance moves that go along with her lyrics to the song.

“It’s like the YMCA but harder,” she said, “but I believe in you.”

Chappell Roan leads the audience in the dance to her hit song “HOT TO GO!”

“It’s like the YMCA but harder,” she said @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/QDf0Qtx12e

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) April 6, 2024

Next, Roan played what she called her favorite song on her debut album: “Guilty Pleasure.”

The tune gives a false sense of calm at the onset, promising what listeners believe to be another ballad — until it completely shifts gears into a pop anthem. She performed the upbeat section under funky rainbow lights.

By this point in her 80-minute set set, Roan decided she needed to ditch her high-heeled pink, sparkly boots for sneakers. She was fanning herself as well.

“Guys, I feel like I can’t dance as hard as I want to in these boots,” she confessed.

The crowd responded with chants of “Take them off!”

“What show is this, like 32 or something?” Roan said. “I’m tired!”

She took a breather with another emotional ballad: “Coffee,” which she said she always forgets some of the words to while performing. The song had an acoustic accompaniment on guitar.

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The concert became even more emotional with the performance of “Kaleidoscope,” arguably the biggest tear-jerker on Roan’s album.

Beforehand, she thanked the audience for coming out and for dressing so beautifully.

“I hope you don’t feel like you have to be anyone but yourself here,” she said during the intro. “You can be the version of yourself that you are too scared to be outside of here, and guess what? We will love you anyway.”

Roan also expressed how grateful she is to be openly queer and be able to have drag queens open for her. At each city where she performs, she recruits local drag queens to perform.

Pittsburgh-based drag queens who opened for Roan include: Lydia Kollins, Dixie Surewood and Amber Hudson.

During “Kaleidoscope,” the audience turned their phone lights back on to wave back and forth. After the number, Roan expressed her thanks for the abundance of twinkles.

“It makes me feel like a real pop star,” she said.

Roan also performed a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

A cover of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” by Chappell Roan here at State AE @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/HMfH69f6zf

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) April 6, 2024

She paid homage to her 17-year-old self by singing an older tune not on the album, “School Nights.”

But, it came with a plot twist: rock undertones, which aren’t present in the recording on music platforms.

Roan’s new single, “Good Luck, Babe!” came out on Friday, and she got to perform it for the first time since its release in Pittsburgh.

“It’s a very special day today,” she said. “You’re the first audience I’ve ever sung that song with … that’s amazing!”

The tune ushers in a new era for Roan’s music, and it signifies what’s to come from the rising star.

Roan has been opening for Olivia Rodrigo since her “Guts” tour launched at the end of February. In addition to more of her tour performances, Roan is set to make festival appearances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Governors Ball, according to Rolling Stone.

To close out the night, she performed her powerhouse hit that became popular last summer “Red Wine Supernova,” as well as “My Kink Is Karma.”

Roan returned to the stage sporting a hot pink fringe sparkly cowboy hat for her encore, which included the ballad “California” and, of course, her signature song: “Pink Pony Club.”