Midwest Princess and rising pop superstar Chappell Roan is conquering cities across the US on The Midwest Princess Tour.
Before beginning this conquest, Chappell expressed to ECHO and 1824, that she wants her shows to be a place where “people feel comfortable and safe,” and she sets the tone through her own self-expression and amazing clothing choices.
“There are so many places in the country that the only day they really get to wear rainbow is pride,” she says, “I encourage people to just wear what makes you feel hot, wear what makes you feel sexy…the themes are an opportunity for everyone to dress up, and the show is not only on stage, it’s also in line at the merch table and next to you front row. It’s just building such community.”
On October 15, at Boston’s House of Blues, the theme was My Kink is Karma. Understanding the assignment, everyone showed up in their most devilish kink.
Originally inspired by Orville Peck’s Troubadour opener, Meatball, a West Hollywood Drag Queen, Chappell continued to build that sought-after safe space on stage by inviting local drag performers to share their talents and their voices.
Reigning royalty of the Boston Drag community Kulfi Jaan, Tara Dikhof, and Chanel introduced the sold-out, all-ages crowd to the unique vibrant and exuberant energy of drag.
Between Tara’s cartwheels and Chanel’s splits, Kulfi shared their wisdom about authenticity and how music unites us in darkness and light.
United by their love for Chappell, the crowd welcomed the Midwest Princess onto the Boston stage.
Wearing riveted leather, chains, and black star pasties, Chappell opened her set with the anthemic and euphoric “Femininominon.”
From the offset, her unbridled spirit brought life to a simple stage setup of herself, her band, and “a mirrored disco ball.” Chappell danced and twirled, and sometimes even death dropped to songs like “Red Wine Supernova” and “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” Chappell even had the whole crowd performing a choreographed cheer dance to “HOT TO GO!”
“This is your song Boston,” Chappell called out before performing that night’s theme inspiration, “My Kink is Karma.”
In between songs, Chappell accepted gifts from the crowd, including a stuffed bunny and a “HOT TO GO!” Papa John’s box filled with handwritten audience kinks. Perhaps the greatest gift of them all was a carefully orchestrated surprise during an emotional performance of “Kaleidoscope.” At the direction of cowboy hat-shaped flyers, the crowd illuminated the dark venue with colorful lights just like the inside of the optic toy.
As much as the show was for her fans, it was also for the 13-year-old closeted Midwest Princess. Chappell is finally “allowing that version of myself to be seen and honored because of how I grew up with religion. There are just so many things in the Midwest that you are told you can and can’t be. I’m just shining the spotlight on her for the first time in my life.”
For young Chappell, and all the others that can’t be themselves, we’re gonna keep on dancing!
To catch Chappell Roan in a city near you, visit, https://www.iamchappellroan.com/.
A percentage of every ticket sold is donated to For the Gworls, a Black, trans-led collective.
