By: Elizabeth Lintonen

The most exciting things to watch in music can be found in Chappell Roan. A return to maximalist, topical glamorous pop. A passionate musician, a singer who has the vocal talent to justify the fans coming by the thousands. After a move to the main T-Mobile stage, Chappell drew one of the biggest daytime crowds Lollapalooza has ever seen. 

 

Hear me out. I’ve been here since the beginning. I have been recommending Pink Pony Club since its original release in 2020. And while I am not a gatekeeper nor someone who isn’t frequently found jumping on trendy artists as soon as they start to get big, I can soundly say that I was into Chappell Roan long before she blew up, long before I started writing about music for a career, and long before the movement of female-pop that is taking over our society like way after wave of pink cowboy hats, sparkly earrings, and solidarity found only in the lived experience of girlhood. 

 

Which is how I found myself doing the Hot To Go! Dance in a crowd of thousands sweating off their glitter in the 90-degree heat, complete with the humidity of off-and-on rain and direct sunlight for the first time that Thursday. The less-than-ideal conditions were worth it, however, because of Chappell’s rich voice, theatrics, and passionate performance. She opened with Femininomenon and worked through all her hits in a pink-and-blue wrestler outfit complete with a ring, boxing dummies, and bodybuilders. The effortless yodel of Picture You. The energy of Hot To Go! She dedicated My Kink is Karma to her ex’s fiance and gave a raw performance with the pink heart backdrop. Her closer was, of course, Pink Pony Club. If Chappell Roan belongs anywhere, it is in-fact on the stage, in her heels, taking us all to the Pink Pony Club and making us feel like anything is possible.