Chappell Roan Calls Out VIPs at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival: “You’re Not Fun”

 

Chappell Roan made it clear she wasn’t here for any passive vibes during her highly anticipated set at San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival. On the final day of the event, the rising pop star didn’t hold back when she noticed some lackluster energy from the VIP section.

“It’s so weird that VIP thinks they’re way too cool to do this!” Roan exclaimed as she introduced her hit song “Hot To Go!” The crowd in the VIP area, who had shelled out hundreds of extra dollars for their prime spot near the Lands End Stage, wasn’t giving her the enthusiasm she expected. This moment came just after Roan shared a special milestone with the audience, mentioning that she was wearing the same glittery blue leotard from the “Hot To Go!” music video, which had just celebrated its one-year anniversary.

As the 26-year-old singer-songwriter encouraged the audience to spell out H-O-T-T-O-G-O with their arms—a routine that her dedicated fans in the general admission area already knew by heart—she added a playful threat: “Do it, or I’m calling you on stage.” Then, turning to the VIPs, she quipped, “You’re not fun!”

Despite her frustrations with the VIP section, Roan needn’t have worried. Her performance attracted a massive audience, rivaling some of the festival’s top acts. Tens of thousands of fans, many donning “Barbie”-style cowboy hats, braved the chilly weather at Golden Gate Park to be part of the experience, dancing and singing along to every song.

According to Allen Scott, president of concerts and festivals for Another Planet Entertainment, which produces Outside Lands, an estimated 50,000 of the festival’s 75,000 attendees came specifically to see Roan’s performance on Sunday.

Roan, born Kayleigh Amstutz in Missouri, has seen a meteoric rise to stardom in recent months. With a style inspired by Taylor Swift and Freddie Mercury, she’s cultivated a loyal fanbase drawn to her queer, campy aesthetic and viral synth-pop hits like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Red Wine Supernova,” particularly through TikTok.

Roan is part of a wave of ultra-confident pop stars who are gaining popularity, joining the ranks of artists like Reneé Rapp and Sabrina Carpenter, both of whom performed at Outside Lands on Saturday, August 10. In fact, Roan’s recent performance at Lollapalooza drew one of the festival’s largest crowds, prompting some to speculate that she might have been better suited as a headliner for the final day of Outside Lands.

During her Sunday set, Roan also debuted an unreleased track, “Subway,” a slow-tempo song about lost love, which she first introduced at Governors Ball in New York this past June. There’s growing speculation that this track will appear on her forthcoming sophomore album.

The anticipation for Roan’s performance was palpable earlier in the day, with hundreds of fans lining up outside Golden Gate Park hours before the gates opened, eager to secure a spot near the Lands End Stage. Before Roan took the stage, musicians dressed in pink and dancers in Marie Antoinette-style gowns paraded through the festival, playing “Hot To Go!” and building excitement among the crowd.

Throughout her nearly hour-long set, Roan primarily performed songs from her 2022 debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. She commanded the stage with energy, moving around in shiny gold boots and even breaking into the splits, all while delivering crisp, powerful vocals.

Roan closed out her set with a fan favorite, “Pink Pony Club,” which inspired many of the colorful outfits seen in the audience. She invited the crowd to sing the last chorus with her, crawling on the floor during the electric guitar solo before finishing with a heartfelt bow.

It’s safe to say that Chappell Roan left a lasting impression on the Outside Lands audience, VIPs included—even if they weren’t quite as “fun” as she would have liked.

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