Chappell Roan makes a fairytale return to NYC – Forest Hills Stadium night 3 review & pics
The rapture didn’t come on Tuesday, as Chappell Roan cheekily addressed on stage during her third of four Forest Hills Stadium shows, so not that or anything else could stop Chappell from bringing down the house at this long-awaited NYC run. These shows are faring much better than the last time Chappell was supposed to play here, almost exactly one year ago at the same venue for All Things Go, one of the many festivals she booked a daytime set at before everyone realized she was big enough to headline. All Things Go 2025 actually returns to Forest Hills Stadium this weekend, and not only would Chappell be big enough to headline it, she’s big enough for four of her own shows at the 13,000-capacity outdoor venue that all sold out just about instantly. She probably could’ve kept adding more nights or upgraded to an even larger venue with no problem at all.
The four Forest Hills shows are part of her Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things “pop-up shows,” which also include two in Kansas City and two in Pasadena. Judging by Setlist.fm, she’s been keeping her setlist consistent each night, and it includes almost every song on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which came out exactly one year ago this past Monday (as Chappell mentioned on stage), plus non-album single “Love Me Anyway,” post-Midwest Princess singles “Good Luck Babe!,” “The Giver,” and “The Subway,” and her cover of Heart’s “Barracuda.” Unfortunately Nancy Wilson from Heart didn’t come out with Chappell on night 3 like she did on night 2, but the cover was still a highlight and Chappell’s own touring band had no problem shredding that “Barracuda” solo. Outside of maybe one or two of the deeper cuts, it felt like every single song was a hit, and I kind of couldn’t believe how fast the show flew by. From the minute she walked out and started singing “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” to the triumphant closing performance of “Pink Pony Club” (fireworks and even more shredding included), Chappell owned the stage like the brightly-shining star that she is and just about every single person in the packed stadium danced and sang along.
For these shows, Chappell had a big stage set-up modeled after fantasy literature, down to a book opening up on screen, fairy tale-style, to start the show. Chappell came out wearing a cloak that could suit a Tolkien character, and she performed “Coffee” with an adorable baby dragon named Shigella. The backdrop had a spiral staircase and a second level that Chappell and her bandmates sometimes climbed, but for the most part, this wasn’t an especially elaborate or theatrical stage show and it didn’t need to be. Chappell belts it, her band rocks, and that’s really all they needed to do to get all 13,000 fans screaming in approval.
The show itself was just a blast, but even before Chappell took the stage, the vibes were immaculate. The Forest Hills Stadium concession area was basically turned into a little Chappell Roan-themed village, with a merch area, a custom merch area, multiple photo ops, and tents from LGBTQ organizations. And the crowd was dressed for the occasion–pink cowboy hats were everywhere, multiple people were dressed as various versions of Chappell Roan, and others were just decked out in elaborate outfits that Chappell herself would surely approve of. The night started at 6 PM with a group of drag performers, and then there was an opening set from hemlocke springs, who Chappell referred to as one of her current favorite artists and whose catchy alt-pop made for a great warm up (not to mention the vocal warm ups that hemlocke led the crowd through).
Chappell’s Forest Hills run wraps up on Wednesday (9/24) with Japanese Breakfast opening, and if you’re trying to decide if you should jump on one of those expensive resale tickets, I’d have to say this show is worth it.
More pictures of night 3 by Amanda Hatfield, some videos from nights 1 & 2, and the full setlist below…
Setlist
Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl
Femininomenon
After Midnight
Naked in Manhattan
Guilty Pleasure
Casual
The Subway
HOT TO GO!
Barracuda (Heart cover)
Picture You
Love Me Anyway
The Giver
Red Wine Supernova
Coffee
Good Luck, Babe!
My Kink Is Karma
California
Pink Pony Club
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