Chappell Roan

For anyone who wants to get “knee-deep in the passenger seat” this weekend, you’ll have a hard time finding where to park in Kansas City. Two sold-out concerts by Missouri's own Chappell Roan, KC Oktoberfest and First Friday are all happening simultaneously.

Kansas City is one of just three U.S. cities on Chappell Roan’s current tour, and local fans say it’s a reminder to everyone that the Midwest has its own vibrant queer communities. Much of the city’s LGBTQ+ arts scene has been on display this week ahead of the concerts.

Fans and artists around Kansas City are embracing the excitement around Missouri-born Chappell Roan, who will perform two sold-out concerts this weekend. Two local drag performers, Karmella Uchawi and Minti Varieties, were tapped to help open the shows.

Kansas City is one of just three cities on the U.S. leg of Chappell Roan’s “Visions of Damsels and Other Dangerous Things” tour — and it's something of a homecoming for the Missouri-born pop star. Ahead of this weekend’s shows, local businesses are celebrating with parties, special drinks and menus, and a “Pink Pony Express" streetcar.

At Sunday night's Grammys, will Beyoncé finally win album of the year? Will Taylor Swift take that prize for the fifth time? Or will a new generation of pop stars — like Missouri native and Midwest princess Chappell Roan — claim the moment?

Special tracks for each state and territory were played during Tuesday night's DNC roll call. Kansas representatives chose a classic song, while Missouri picked one from a newer superstar.

Born in Willard, Missouri, Roan began uploading music to YouTube as a teenager before winning — and losing — a record deal. But the rising pop star is now inescapable, from TikTok feeds to performances at Coachella to the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite all the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric across the country, Chappell Roan — who grew up in the small, religious town of Willard, Missouri — is sharing her spotlight with local drag queens in every city she plays on tour.