Chappell Roan returns after cancelling gigs amid election outcry
Chappell Roan performs on stage in Franklin, Tennessee after cancelling a festival appearance. (Getty)
“Good Luck, Babe!” hitmaker and sapphic songstress Chappell Roan has made a victorious return after cancelling two festival dates over the weekend, as she took to the stage at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin.
Roan was due to continue her pop superstardom ascent at the All Things Go festival in DC and New York last weekend (28 and 29 September), but pulled out of the gigs last minute to focus on her mental health.
Her decision to drop the festival slots came after she faced fierce backlash for refusing to endorse US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, saying there were “problems on both sides” of the political spectrum.
Yet after several days of rest and recuperation, Roan stormed onto the stage at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee last night (1 October) to continue her mammoth The Midwest Princess Tour.
She took to the stage at first in a camouflage, knee-length skirt and black combat boots, before tearing away the skirt to reveal camo hot pants and a matching corset.
It was a stellar return to form for the newly-crowned queer icon, as she belted out a string of her most fan-adored hits, including “HOT TO GO!” and “Pink Pony Club”.
Fans in attendance were overjoyed to see her back on stage, with one dubbing her voice as “the best concert vocals I’ve ever heard”.
Paramore singer and vocal LGBTQ+ ally Hayley Williams was also in attendance at the show, writing on her Instagram Stories during it to celebrate how Roan makes queer people feel “seen”.
“The guys and I [Paramore] grew up here [Franklin]. We have always known it’s not a place where anyone from the LGBTQIA+ community gets to simply show up and feel this seen, much less celebrated,” she shared alongside a video of the roaring crowd.
“Shows like these are so important. I am so happy I got to witness this.”
Ahead of the show, fans were anxiously awaiting confirmation that it would be going ahead, following Roan’s decision to cancel her All Things Go appearance.
She alerted her fans to the cancelation via her Instagram page on Friday (27 September), writing in a statement: “I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health.
“I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible. Thank you for understanding.”
Last month, The Guardian published an interview with Chappell Roan in which she explained her decision not to endorse Harris.
“There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote – vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city,” she said.
However, some fans and internet users criticised her as they felt she was insinuating that Harris is equally as bad as Trump, despite the latter’s infamously poor record on LGBTQ+ rights.
Responding to her critics, Roan shared two TikTok videos in which she confirmed that she would be “voting for f**king Kamala,” and issued a scathing two-word analysis of the other option, saying: “F**k Trump, for f**king real.”
However, she doubled down on her stance that there are “problems” in the Democratic party, too.
“There is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views,” she said.
“So yeah, there are huge problems on both. You know what is right and wrong and so do I. F**k Trump for f**king real, but f**k some of the s**t that has gone down in the Democratic party that has failed people like me and you — and, more so, Palestine, and more so, every marginalized community in the world.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
