Chappell Roan Wows Reading Festival with Enchanting Fairytale-Themed Performance

When Chappell Roan toured the UK last autumn, she was playing intimate, club-level shows. Fast forward to Friday, and the singer was headlining Reading Festival, delivering a jubilant, high-energy performance that marked the culmination of her meteoric rise over the past 18 months.

Supported by a gothic fairytale castle backdrop and a powerhouse all-female band, Roan brought her debut album to life on a stadium scale, infusing hits like Hot To Go and Casual with a crunchy rock edge that thrilled a crowd of 90,000. “Thank you for loving me and standing with me,” she told the audience. “This is a dream come true, seriously.”

Roan’s booking at Reading followed her emergence as one of 2024’s biggest breakout stars, but her path to stardom has been far from straightforward. She spent years honing her sound and convincing skeptical record labels before her theatrical, singalong-heavy anthems found their audience. Her debut—and so far only—album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, was a slow-burning hit that chronicles her journey of self-discovery: leaving her small-town Missouri roots for California, moving on from teenage relationships she calls “hyper mega bummer boys,” and embracing queer love.

The record blends genres from country to 80s synth-pop, but it’s the lyrics, filled with yearning and thwarted romance, that resonate most. At Reading, fans sang along to nearly every word, sometimes threatening to overpower Roan’s powerful vocals. “You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the world’s biggest hen party,” joked Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, noting the sea of pink cowboy hats that filled the audience.

Roan appeared on stage shortly after 7 p.m., dressed in an ornate crimson ensemble topped with a black “bat wing” fascinator, immediately earning the affectionate nickname “Chappell Crow-an” from fans. She opened with three upbeat tracks—Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, Femininomenon, and After Midnight—skipping across the stage and shedding layers of her elaborate costume to the delight of the crowd.

Over the course of 90 minutes, she performed nearly every song she has released, including early hits like Love Me Anyway and recent standalone tracks The Giver and Subway. Where most headliners might struggle with album tracks and deep cuts, Roan made it work. Her songs from Midwest Princess have evolved into anthems, elevating the album to near-classic status alongside records like Thriller, Rumours, and Back To Black.

Highlights included the viral Hot To Go, complete with a YMCA-style dance routine, and the tongue-in-cheek My Kink Is Karma, which she dedicated “to my ex who is in the crowd tonight.” But it was ballads like Casual, Coffee, and Picture You that showcased her remarkable voice—country-tinged, breathy, and agile—setting her apart from her pop peers.

Chappell Roan Delights Reading Festival Crowd with Magical Fairytale Set

Festival constraints meant there was little room for her signature banter, a highlight of her tours. Usually, during The Giver, she pauses to read audience messages about hopeless exes. In Oslo last week, she even orchestrated a collective boo of a man named Daniel, who had cheated in a Burger King parking lot. While that interactive moment didn’t happen at Reading, her charisma and stage presence never wavered.

As the sun dipped behind Little John’s Farm, Roan delivered her breakout single, Good Luck Babe, silhouetted in spotlights and exuding superstar energy. She closed with Pink Pony Club, blowing kisses and high-kicking across the stage while fireworks lit up the sky, leaving the audience ecstatic. From start to finish, it was a flawless pop set.

.. Chappell Roan on stage at the Reading Festival

Roan continues her festival run with a performance in Leeds on Saturday, followed by two headline shows at Edinburgh’s Royal Showground next week. Afterward, she has a few dates in Ireland and the United States, before facing the challenge of following up the phenomenal success of her debut. Speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, she admitted that her next project could take up to five years. “The second project doesn’t exist yet. There is no album. There is no collection of songs,” she explained. “I want to write music whenever I feel settled… once I really feel calm in a new house and have a routine, then I can think about writing a song.”

Fans and critics alike are eager for her return, but for now, Chappell Roan’s Reading Festival performance remains a testament to her rapid rise, creative vision, and undeniable star power.

Chappell Roan’s Reading Festival Setlist: