“I’m having wicked dreams / of leaving Tennessee” popstar Chappell Roan sings in one of her top songs, Pink Pony Club, but she came back to perform at FirstBank Amphitheatre in Franklin, Tennessee on Oct. 1, 2024 as part of her Midwest Princess Tour. This came as a partial surprise after she was at the center of recent controversies about political statements and canceled shows, including her performance at the All Things Go music festival the weekend before. However, her performance in Franklin was not all mini skirts and go-go boots.
To begin with, getting tickets to her show in Franklin was not an easy feat. Over 25,000 fans joined the queue for tickets, but there were only 7,500 available. This already created disappointment within her community. Additionally, for some fans who were able to purchase tickets secondhand from verified sellers, tickets were not transferred at the venue, causing more disappointment.
It was not until Sept. 20, 2024 that Chappell Roan released the actual theme for the concert, “Midwest Princess”. Many fans were extremely disappointed with this theme and mentioned how it would make sense for the show closest to Nashville to be the “Pink Pony Club”. This lapse in themes created a wardrobe problem for many fans and ultimately caused people to follow their own themes instead.
The concert began at 8:00 p.m. with performances from three popular Nashville drag artists: Coqueta (@coqueta_official), Aquamarine (@_aquamarinepr), and Miss Alexia Noelle (@missalexianoelle). Each artist performed about three songs, creating a thirty minute opener. Chappell Roan was set to go on stage at 9:00 p.m.; however, at 9:00 it was announced on-screen that she would instead be going on at 9:30 p.m. to allow the final fans time to enter the amphitheater due to unexpected parking issues.
When she finally arrived on stage, she started off strong with seven songs and truly provided an incredible show for everyone in attendance. Before her eighth song, she took the time to deliver a heartfelt speech focusing her energy on the queer community and highlighting the drag artists, encouraging fans to tip them. She went on to express, “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 clock into my job,” and made sure to state “I hope you know that you are wanted here, and welcome here, however you are,” following it with, “You are cherished, and you are loved. I’m gonna say it again, because I have a feeling that sometimes it’s hard to hear these things, or maybe you don’t hear them at all. But if you’re here, then you are loved and you are cherished.” After she finished giving her speech, she continued with her set and encore.
Setlist:
Femininomenon
Naked in Manhattan
Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl
Love Me Anyway
Picture You
Hot to Go
After Midnight
Coffee
Kaleidoscope
Casual
The Subway
Red Wine Supernova
Good Luck, Babe!
My Kink is Karma
California
Pink Pony Club
