You’ve probably heard of Chappell Roan, or at least one of her songs. Considering two of her most played songs are “HOT TO GO” and “Pink Pony Club,” there’s quite the chance you’ve at least heard of her. You might not have known, however, that she had a few pop-up shows recently, one of which being in Pasadena, California on October 10th and 11th.
I was fortunate enough for my mom to get tickets to said show on the 10th, surprising me with an early Christmas present. So, we’ll be focusing on that.
It was hot, of course, getting up to 89 degrees Fahrenheit, and staying there for a chunk of the day.
My mom and I started the day with walking from the hotel we were staying at to a Starbucks just down the road. This Starbucks had an amazing view from one of the windows, looking out at one of the hills. Said trip was successful, ending us with a breakfast item and water each, as well as a little snack pack thing, and a raccoon cake pop (which was one of my favorite parts, I love raccoons).
After we got back to the hotel, we started getting ready to go to the venue. We got there and lined up at about noon, where we were the first in our line!
We did our makeup while waiting, though my mom’s foundation was melting pretty quickly because of the heat.
We were waiting until about 4, when we were finally let in. Don’t worry, the people working provided us with plenty of water (even if some of it was really warm).
Once we were let in, my mom surprised me with VIP, so we got to stand in the second row away from the stage! The venue, being a pop-up show, had only standing room, so we were standing basically the whole time, but it was so worth it.
There were about three openers for Chappell Roan. Two separate (and different) drag shows (each with their own DJ), and a singer, Hemlocke Springs.
Chappell Roan herself didn’t get on stage until about 9:15, starting the show with “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” Not much really happened while she was on stage that wasn’t just her performing, though during “HOT TO GO,” where she usually calls people out for not doing the dance with her, she said that she was going to call someone out, but he “looked sweet,” so he didn’t have to do it.
My mom did remark on how good she sounded live, along with how impressive her vocal range was. As well as how, “as an old person, it was impressive for me that she was able to sing Barracuda so well because not many people can sing it as well as (or maybe even better than) the original.”
Due to noise restrictions in the area where the concert was held, the concert ended around 10:45, finishing with “Pink Pony Club.” Which means Chappell Roan was only on stage for roughly an hour and a half, but hey, it was amazing either way.
While we were leaving the concert, my mom and I ended up each getting a hot dog that was wrapped in bacon for a little snack-dinner thing, which was delicious.
However, it was two days after the concert, and my first full day back at home after the trip, when
my mom showed me a TikTok, where it turns out that Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray (two more artists that I’m a fan of) were also at the
concert, same time and same night, but up on a balcony with other famous people (no I don’t know who).
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, I had a lot of fun, and it was a great first time in California. It was also a great learning experience as I helped my mom navigate while driving. I learned what a “California stop” was, which I have to admit I wasn’t very impressed with. My mom and I also theorized that people in LA just put on their blinkers and pray. I feel like having an experience like this, even if it’s just being somewhere new with family, is a great memory to have.
