She was everything.
Chappell Roan sent a bedazzled, glitter-flecked Laneway into the stratosphere.
They came in their tassels, their tinsel and their T-shirts that read, “Dyke,” “Cunty,” and, “This dog is loyal to you.” They dressed in distressed denim, ripped fishnets, feather boas and floppy pink hats. They all wore cowboy boots, so many you could start a rodeo. They twirled umbrellas, clutched glowing unicorns and rocked rainbow pride balloons. One man bedazzled his moustache. One woman painted herself green. You couldn’t avoid the glitter, even if you tried. At one point in the day, I looked down at my previously unblemished arm to see it smeared in gold dots and stars.
Was Chappell Roan going to deliver? Up to 40,000 people had turned up to Western Springs in their finest to find out. All of those fans had combined to make this the biggest instalment of Aotearoa’s Laneway yet, a festival that has nearly tripled in size in three years, giving Tāmaki Makaurau its largest multi-stage music event since the final Big Day Out in 2014. Pressure? Sure. We’d all seen what had happened when she performed at all those festivals overseas. We all know what she’s capable of. And we’d all turned up to nab a piece of that moment for ourselves.
What really stunned was just how spectacular the Chappell Roan live experience truly is. Her stage, a gothic fairytale nightmare, glowed in blue and green hues. Her band, all female, packed the biggest wallop of any of the many bands that played Laneway yesterday. As soon as she arrived on stage, everything seemed to glow 200% brighter. Her magnetism pulled you in. Her voice sent chills down your spine. Her anthems, of which there are many, unified and thrilled. You couldn’t look away. It was completely entrancing and utterly compelling, possibly the most mesmerising 90 minutes of live music I have ever seen.
Chappell Roan was so poised, so present, so perfect, that it almost made you forget about all of the other acts that had had very good moments under the day’s steaming sun. Like Mokotron, who gave Laneway the kind of opening bass wallop you used to get early on in the Boiler Room (heh) at the Big Day Out. Or Benee, who delivered an afternoon blast of pop mayhem on the swampy lakeside stage. Geese showed they’re worthy of all that hype with a set of thrillingly obtuse rock songs. PinkPantheress showcased excellent old school jungle and two-step energy. In the time since I last saw Wet Leg play, they have muscled up and become perfect main stage festival fodder.
In hindsight, they were all warm-ups up for the main event. Laneway’s biggest headliner will also go down as its best. Chappell Roan was as pure an expression of joy as you can get. I don’t know how organisers will top this, or where they can take this festival from here. That’s tomorrow’s question. Last night, you couldn’t help but be swept up and away by it all. Just ask the burly man in a bushy beard and an All Blacks jersey behind me. He stood stern, dark sunglasses covering his face, his baseball cap pulled tight over his head, while ripping his vape. Yet, as soon as the beat for ‘HOT TO GO!’ kicked in, he shuffled his feet and spelled out the letters, just like you’re supposed to. This is Chappell Roan’s world. Better get used to it, I guess.
Become a subscriber! You’ll get a couple of newsletters from me each week! They contain the best Aotearoa music journalism I can produce! I don’t bite! Promise!
Bonus beat.
It was a spectacular. Just so big in every way possible. Her voice, her presence, her band, the stage and lighting. Incredible. A suitable end to such an already massive day filled with highlights.
For a dad surrounded by so many “come as you ares” it was completely infectious and Chappell Roan absolutely lived up to expectations. Loved the whole day.