Kansas City is one of only three stops in Chappell Roan’s “Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things” tour. UMKC students are surprised, but are feeling the energy of the “Midwest Princess.”
Roan, who grew up in Willard, MO, announced the mini tour on Instagram, with only 8 dates across New York, Los Angeles and Kansas City. In the caption, she explained that she loves these three cities “so much” and “wanted the chance to do something special before going away to write the next album.”
“So many artists do not come to Kansas City. We are very skipped over,” said Vanessa Reyes, a senior health sciences major. “It was definitely high priority to get tickets.”
Reyes, her friends, her boyfriend and her mother all signed up for the chance to buy tickets. Reyes said she “luckily” got a code and was able to grab some.
“I was kind of shocked, but I was also so happy about it,” said Caroline Heimos, a sophomore majoring in health sciences, about KC being chosen. “I mean it makes sense, like, she is from Missouri, but the fact that it’s going to be in my town, that’s so exciting,”
Heimos, who grew up in Washington, MO, said she appreciates Roan’s unapologetic self-expression. “It gives other people the realization that you can do everything you want to do, it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” she said.
Ava Teiwes, a sophomore nursing major, shared the same sentiment. “You don’t have to fit the narrative of that small town. That’s why I like her so much,” she said.
With Roan coming off her recent “Best New Artist” Grammy win, this limited tour is drawing in people from outside of town to see her perform. An “Official KC Guide” was posted by Chappell Roan’s team, highlighting local attractions such as woman-owned coffee shops like Café Corazón and queer establishments like Missie B’s.
Teiwes expressed her appreciation for this, saying people visiting “need to go actually explore the fun parts of the city, not just the greedy corporations.”
Roan has shared that Hamburger Mary’s, a spot also mentioned in her Official KC Guide, was where she saw her first ever drag show. Artist Jared Horman said this was the reasoning for the location of his Chappell Roan mural.
Funded by SprayKC, Horman teamed up with Christine Ruitzel, an artist from Hollister, MO, to create a mural in homage to the “Midwest Princess,” right next to Hamburger Mary’s. Horman said that as soon as the show was announced he felt it was a moment “worth doing something above and beyond.”
Both Horman and Ruitzel shared their love for Roan as Missouri natives themselves.
“The way that she talks about her experiences growing up in small town Midwest, I could relate to them,” said Ruitzel. “She is everything that I wish I had when I was in high school and I’m a little envious of the younger generation now that get to grow up with someone who is so authentic and relatable.”
Horman said that Roan speaks for people whose voices are often overlooked. “She may not be for you and that’s okay because the people she’s supporting haven’t had someone for them,” he said.
Along with Horman and Ruitzel’s mural, Kansas City is also seeing the addition of the “Pink Pony Express,” a streetcar wrapped in collaboration with Roan’s team. Due to the lack of event parking at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, Roan’s team recommends concert-goers ride the KC Streetcar line to downtown.
