Chappell Roan opened the first night of her "Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things" pop-up U.S. tour with "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" on September 20, 2025.
The theme for Chappell Roan's NYC pop-up shows is "My Kink is Karma." This one fan went above and beyond — recreating Roan's makeup from the song's music video.
Japanese Breakfast, the stage name for best-selling "Crying in H-Mart" author Michelle Zauner, opened for Chappell Roan on Sept. 20.
Concert goers wave their pink bandanas and cowgirl hats in the air as Chappell Roan closes the night with "Pink Pony Club."

QUEENS, New York − Chappell Roan landed on my radar in 2023, nearly two years before she won best new artist at the Grammys. I photographed the “Midwest Princess” at House of Blues in Boston, and it was apparent to anyone in the crowd that we had stumbled upon a superstar.

Roan had the presence and dynamism of a headliner even at the 2,500-capacity venue, and fans connected with her performance as much as her radical self-acceptance after growing up queer in a small, religious Missouri town.

On Sept. 20, Roan kicked off her Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things pop-up shows at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. Performing now to crowds of 14,000, it’s clear that what Roan represents to her fans hasn’t changed – if anything, it’s only been amplified.

Fans admire Roan's commitment to the LGBTQ+ community

Looking out over the barricade, it's a sea of pink, glitter and rhinestones. Fans came dressed in looks mirroring Roan's music videos, album covers and past concert outfits (one fan recreated her iconic Lady Liberty look from Governor's Ball 2024).

Miki DiFrietus tells me Roan's shows are "all about queer joy." When the queue opened up at 3 p.m., DiFrietus and friend Tess Gomez arrived early to ensure they'd be close to the stage. They admire Roan's dedication to uplifting local drag artists in each city she performs in (she has a drag opener for every show), and Gomez says how important it is to have a pop star represent women-loving-women.

Even Japanese Breakfast, the Sept. 20 opener, had plenty of kind words to say about Roan.

It was special "to be opening up for someone I really believe in who is bringing so much joy and positivity into the world," she told the crowd.

In the merch and photo activation area at Forest Hills Stadium, the Ali Forney Center, an organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, and the LGBT Center had information booths.

Chappell Roan: 'You are cherished'

Before playing "Kalediscope," Roan took a few moments to speak to the audience.

"I think the last time I played a New York headline show, it was Brooklyn Steel," Roan said, referencing her 2023 show at the 3,000-capacity venue.

"It's been quite a year," she continued. "I can't believe we're here, honestly. It's crazy. Thank you for sticking with me through it."

Just like her fans, Roan expressed gratitude for the safe, celebratory space her shows have become.

"I just needed a place like this so bad whenever I was 13, 14. Just because I wanted to dress up however I wanted to. I wanted to wear makeup and look weird," Roan said.

"I hope that you're welcome here in however you show up today. This is exactly what I want you to be," she told fans. "You are cherished. You are cherished. Thank you for being here."

She played a deep cut, "Love Me Anyway," prefacing the song by calling the world "really hard and painful right now."

During "Pink Pony Club," she thanked her fans and "the drag queens."

"I love you, I love you, I love you. Thank you," she cheered.

There have been many points throughout Roan's career where the public wanted more from her — to speak up louder, to say exactly the right thing, to fit into the role of the perfect celebrity or perfect activist. Seeing her live is a reminder that existence is resistance. It’s a collective form of resistance, existing together at concerts — creating safe environments for queer joy and radical acceptance that aren't afraid to take up space, to be seen or heard.

Roan is one of those artists where every time you see them live, you get the feeling that it’ll be the smallest venue you'll ever see them at again. But how could the venues not get bigger and bigger when the demand for her is so great?

Chappell Roan setlist 'Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things' U.S. tour

  1. "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl"
  2. "Femininomenon"
  3. "After Midnight"
  4. "Naked in Manhattan"
  5. "Guilty Pleasure"
  6. "Casual"
  7. "The Subway"
  8. "HOT TO GO!"
  9. "Barracuda" (Heart cover)
  10. "Picture You"
  11. "Kaleidoscope"
  12. "Love Me Anyway"
  13. "The Giver"
  14. "Red Wine Supernova"
  15. "Coffee"
  16. "Good Luck, Babe!"
  17. "My Kink Is Karma"
  18. "California"
  19. "Pink Pony Club"

Where to see Chappell Roan in 2025

Chappell Roan has three more shows in New York at Forest Hills Stadium (Sept. 21, Sept. 23 and Sept. 24). Roan will also perform shows in Kansas City, Missouri and Pasadena, California this tour.

Roan is donating $1 per ticket to organizations providing resources for transgender youth in each city.

Aside from festival appearances across Australia, Mexico and South America, these will be her last solo shows before "going away to write the next album," she told fans in July.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chappell Roan brings pop perfection, radical acceptance to tour. See setlist and outfits

Reporting by Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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