Reinventing Concert Rituals
Are you the type who religiously jumps up and down while doing the HOT TO GO! dance, screams their lungs out to Red Wine Supernova or Good Luck, Babe!, or do you prefer to scream-cry to Casual thinking about your latest situationship? Either way, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has probably been occupying both your mind and your Spotify listening history for the past few months. Chappell Roan’s unexpected popularity has been revolutionary in many ways, and one of them is definitely the unique experience of attending her live shows.
Chappell Roan performs onstage during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. Photo credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images/MTV.
Even though she has been making music for no less than seven years, Chappell Roan has unexpectedly risen to superstardom since opening for Olivia Rodrigo on her GUTS tour and giving iconic performances at Coachella and the Governors Ball in New York City. No one really expected it, least of all Chappell herself, but the overnight popularity she gained doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. On the contrary, she seems to be touching more and more hearts every day. A queer girl from Missouri who openly talks about her struggles with sexuality and mental illness, Chappell is using her mainstream fame to reach queer people all around the world and tell them they’re never alone. And this definitely shows in her live performances as well.
In the past few years, we’ve seen concert culture as we know it evolve bit by bit. Endless fan creativity has created different rituals we now consider a must when attending pop shows in particular. Making friendship bracelets and trading them with fellow fans that started with Taylor’s Eras Tour, dressing in outfits inspired by the artist and their songs (Taylor Swift’s tour, Harry Styles’s tour, etc.), or smaller artist-specific traditions like wearing hair bows when seeing Gracie Abrams. However, all of these traditions were fan-made and subsequently spread through social media, and none of them were explicitly initiated by the artists themselves. Except for Chappell, that is. Ever since her 2023 tour, Chappell Roan has been assigning outfit themes to each of her tour dates, mostly inspired by her songs. Each tour location has one theme, with some of the previous themes named Pink Pony Club (pink cowgirl aesthetic), Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl(space aesthetic), Naked In Manhattan (slumber party theme), Guilty Pleasure (angels and devils), My Kink Is Karma (red and black aesthetic), Mermaid, Midwest Princess (camo aesthetic), and so on. When asked about the concert themes by NYLON Magazine, Chappell said, “I’m big on crowd participation… My whole thing is world-building and throwing a party… And everyone loves a themed party!”.
Chappell Roan’s EU/UK Tour Themes, via IG @chappellroan.
The assigned outfit themes are just one of her many ways to build community among her fans, as well as connect to them herself. Fans will inevitably feel more personally connected to the artist if they’re essentially matching outfits with them, which is not only a great way to build a deeper fan connection but also brilliant marketing. But the main point of this tradition is definitely community building, which is especially important in queer fandoms. Chappell’s fans even claim that the outfit preparation and anticipation before the show is as much part of the fun as the show itself. This often manifests on social media, where fans discuss and share their DIY outfits and ideas to build up each other’s excitement. Coming up with outfits and making them also awakens the fans’ creativity, bringing out their imaginative and crafty side that might not usually have that much space in their busy daily lives. And for the ones that already have creative careers, this is another opportunity to show off their talents.
Chappell Roan’s EU/UK Tour Themes, via IG @chappellroan.
It’s well known that interactions between fans can often get toxic, especially when queuing at concerts and dehydration are involved. But community-building concert traditions make it a bit harder to hate on the people around you and a bit easier to compliment their outfits and start talking about your shared love of the artist you’re seeing. Most of all, this is one of the many ways an artist can make their shows a safe space blanketed with a sense of camaraderie that allows the fans the freedom to be fearlessly and unapologetically themselves.
