Chappell Roan brings ‘Pink Pony Club’ to L.A. with ‘Naked in North America’ tour
The last time Chappell Roan performed at the Fonda Theatre she opened for Vance Joy as part of his “Lay It On Me” tour — but that was six years ago, and Roan has since come into her own. As the final stop on her completely sold-out tour, the Los Angeles-based artist threw a killer kiki this past Wednesday.
The show, aptly named the “Naked in North America” tour, was a pink-and-silver rodeo experience curated for queer audiences. Before the theater opened its doors, a long line of costumed crowd members wrapped around the block; Roan decreed the tour be a themed affair through a couplet of Instagram posts that listed themes of each stop, and tour attendees whole-heartedly participated. The theme for L.A., “So you wanna be a popstar,” was also reflected in each of Roan’s all-femme band members, with costumes drawn from Lana Del Rey, Avril Lavigne and David Bowie. The venue was full of femme people dressed in what could only be described as a Republican lawmaker’s worst nightmare — or greatest fantasy.
The night started with dazzling performances from three local drag queens: Missile Aneous, Aiana Shaw and La Kelly Ru. With sensational stunts, lush lip syncing and power-house performances from the queens, it wasn’t surprising to see the electric engagement of the crowd.
By the time the local drag artists finished their opening sets, the audience had transformed into one deafening, queer mass — the perfect energy to roll out the figurative Studio 54 carpet for the headliner.
Flashing lights and soundbites from Roan’s “Naked in Manhattan” marked the beginning of L.A.’s most sapphic event of the night. Roan ran on stage to thundering applause from the theater and opened the show in a blindingly blonde wig. After the epithetical first song, Roan followed with her 2020 single “Love Me Anyway” before disappearing off the side of the stage.
Audience members were bewildered by her sudden exit — until clips from Disney’s “Hannah Montana” began to play over the speakers. As the audio grew louder, Roan appeared again, sans blonde wig. Members of the front row screamed at Roan’s new costume: Miley Stewart.
Roan’s strengths reach far beyond her visual artistry — this tour, she took on the role as her own stylist, makeup artist and costume designer — the artist’s yonic yodeling was a soul-shaking talent that did not spare the live audience.
Roan travels in a mere van and U-Haul trailer, which makes her activism seem so much more sacrificial. On top of donating a portion of every ticket sale to the Black, trans-led collective For The Gworls, she spoke in gratitude for her tour openers.
“This is the 20th show and the final show of the tour and in every city, we’ve sourced three local drag performers from that city,” Roan said. “When you tip your drag queens — if you didn’t get a chance, we’ve got a tip jar at the merch table — you are directly supporting your local drag community. It’s very important right now, and it always has been.”
Chappell Roan is bound to be the next big thing in pop if her L.A. show was any indication. With her opener of three local drag queens to her soul-stirring vocals, the costumed crowd adored her and her visual artistry. (Mateo Villalba-Mutis | Daily Trojan)
Apart from performing yet-unreleased tracks, Roan’s highlight of the night was her performance of “Bitter,” which she noted was from an older era of being a depressed Midwest girl, one she doesn’t identify with anymore.
“You have to honor your younger self, even if you do not like them,” she told the crowd.
Despite having moved into a happier, celebratory period of her artistry, Roan sang with a convincing Appalachian angst as she recounted her journey with self-sabotage. Audience members were transfixed on Roan, immersed in the bitter, balladeering belladonna’s tragic tale.
Taking a sharp left turn, Roan quickly raised the energy in the venue with a stunning cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” which was a perfect fit for her lower register. The sapphic songbird had timeless appeal, even when launching into a choreographed dance to her unreleased queer take on a “YMCA”-esque dance track, “Hot To Go.”
When it came time for Roan’s encore, she performed the song every single concertgoer had been waiting to hear. “Pink Pony Club” — produced by Daniel Nigro, the collaborator behind Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” and Caroline Polachek’s “Pang” — explores Roan’s journey of finding her queer community in West Hollywood and has been an anthem of reclamation for many LGBTQIA+ people in the past years. The crowd sang as if it weren’t a school night and danced as if they had nothing to lose. Roan accidentally threw her mic off the stage. It was the perfect song to end an extremely successful tour on.
“She gives it her all,” said Mado Dolce, a long-time fan and concert attendee. “She really cares about her fans.”
With Roan’s trajectory, it’ll be exciting to see where Roan will go next. Whether the project that Roan has been hinting at would be a Lana Del Rey-esque Americana pop album — “Chemtrails Over the Drag Club,” perhaps — or a cult-classic pop record, there is much anticipation. As the country gal Roan claims to be, she sure seems to have the range. Join the “Pink Pony Club” while you still can: Chappell Roan is the next big thing.