Pop’s reigning showgirl, Chappell Roan, just made her dream on-stage collaboration a reality. Halfway through her Forest Hills Stadium set on Sunday (September 21), Roan invited a rock legend and personal hero out on stage: Heart’s Nancy Wilson. Together, they tore through a roaring version of ‘Barracuda’.
It’s no secret that Roan is obsessed with Heart. She revealed last year that ‘Barracuda’ was her most-listened-to song of 2024, and the band landed at Number Three in her Spotify Wrapped. She’s been playing ‘Barracuda’ as part of her setlist for some time – we got to witness a wonderfully camp version at Reading Festival headline set – but it rocked extra hard with Wilson on guitar.
The four-night Queens run has already been one of Roan’s biggest moments to date. With a setlist that boasts ultimate bangers such as ‘Femininomenon’, ‘After Midnight’ and ‘Naked In Manhattan’ and viral anthem ‘HOT TO GO!’, a Chappell Roan gig never falls flat. Usually, her cover of Heart’s classic is as close as you can come to a lull amongst her young fanbase – but tonight, they headbanged along to the 80s classic.
These Queens shows come after a whirlwind summer of headline festival appearances across the globe. Roan’s debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, turned her into one of pop’s most essential new voices in 2023 – and while she’s still keeping fans guessing about the sound of album two, she’s promised to take a breather after this tour before diving into writing.
“I think once this tour is done and the US shows are done, it’ll feel like a big breath off my shoulders,” she said. “Then I can chill for a second and actually think about writing. But we’re almost done with the victory lap.”
