Chappell Roan’s fans welcome the ‘Midwest Princess’ to Kansas City

Katie Currid | October 8, 2025

People wait in line to take a picture in front of a mural depicting Chappell Roan before her concert in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, Oct. 3. The mural is near the city's Hamburger Mary's, known for their drag shows and where Chappell Roan saw her first drag performance. — People wait in line to take a picture in front of a mural depicting Chappell Roan before her concert in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, Oct. 3. The mural is near the city’s Hamburger Mary’s, known for their drag shows and where Chappell Roan saw her first drag performance. (Katie Currid for NPR)

Chappell Roan stopped in Kansas City, Mo., over the weekend as a part of her Visions of Damsels and Other Dangerous Things tour. The pop-up tour had dates in only three cities: — New York, Los Angeles and Kansas City. The Midwestern stop was meaningful to Kansas Citians, as it’s located in the singer’s home state of Missouri.

Left: Zach Pixler (from left), Maggie Croft, Krystian Smith and Shriji Patel pose for a photo inside Kansas City's Union Station before Friday's concert. Right: A woman wears a pink cowboy hat waits at the streetcar stop at Union Station. — **Left:** Zach Pixler (from left), Maggie Croft, Krystian Smith and Shriji Patel pose for a photo inside Kansas City’s Union Station before Friday’s concert. **Right:** A woman wears a pink cowboy hat waits at the streetcar stop at Union Station. (Katie Currid for NPR)

The city went all out for her arrival, lighting up many of its downtown buildings in pink, à la “Pink Pony Club,” painting a mural of the “Midwest Princess” across from the city’s Hamburger Mary’s, where she saw her first drag show, creating special menu items at local bars and restaurants, and even covering its streetcar in a special “Pink Pony Express” wrap to mark the occasion.

Chappell Roan's fans, many dressed in costume and in pink, get off Kansas City's streetcar at Union Station before Friday's concert. After exploding in popularity last summer, Road picked just three cities for her tour this fall: New York City, Los Angeles and Kansas City, which is in her home state of Missouri. — Chappell Roan’s fans, many dressed in costume and in pink, get off Kansas City’s streetcar at Union Station before Friday’s concert. After exploding in popularity last summer, Road picked just three cities for her tour this fall: New York City, Los Angeles and Kansas City, which is in her home state of Missouri. (Katie Currid for NPR)

Roan performed to a sold-out crowd of 30,000 both nights on the lawn of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. She featured local drag performers, including Karmella Uchawi and Minti Varieties, as openers for the shows, as well as musical acts Japanese Breakfast and Baby Tate. Roan’s decision to include the city in the tour was significant to many queer Midwesterners, and LGBTQ+ pride was on display in makeup, signs and costumes throughout the weekend.

Left: Tisha Grogg (from left), Angela Hopwood and Mia Fiore traveled from St. Louis to see Chappell Roan perform. Right: Ariana and Aaron Sisneros traveled from Colorado to see Friday's show. — **Left:** Tisha Grogg (from left), Angela Hopwood and Mia Fiore traveled from St. Louis to see Chappell Roan perform. **Right:** Ariana and Aaron Sisneros traveled from Colorado to see Friday’s show. (Katie Currid for NPR)

During the show, the singer spoke about how she knows it can be hard growing up queer in the Midwest, and that with all that’s going on in the world, bringing the queer community joy is the most important thing to her at the moment. She said seeing how her home state showed up for her over the weekend was meaningful to her, and that it affirmed that she was doing exactly what she was meant to be doing.