From a Front Row Fangirl

Role Model embarks on his North American tour in Phoenix, Arizona at the end of February, performing his latest deluxe album release: Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye). Read below to learn about the VIP package offered, the special events and surprises happening, the concert environment, and some ideas to add to the overall fan experience at each show.

Dear Fellow Fangirls,

This past week I realized I wasn’t in Kansas Anymore, when I clicked my heels three times and ended up at No Place Like Tour, in Phoenix, Arizona.

This was the opening show of Role Model’s tour for his newest album Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), and boy was it a blast. I have been to many of his shows on previous tours, but this one is a personal favorite of mine.

Role Model and his team do a fantastic job of creating a very fun, and lighthearted concert environment. From his stage presence to the selection of the perfect opener, and the VIP fan experience to the crowd’s energy; it’s almost a promise that you’ll have the best night of your life.

His presence draws you in from the moment he steps on the stage, and prompts you to jump up and down, engaging in some of your silliest dance moves you never thought you’d let leave your bedroom; but at his concerts they come out easily. His charisma and personality that seems anything but shy and a little corny over social media shines under the stage lights. As a fan in the audience you find yourself hanging on every word he sings-in awe of every lyric-swooning as he makes eye contact with you in the crowd, and laughing at every bit, and the inside joke he shares with you.

As an OG fan of his there was no way I was going to the show without participating in the VIP experience. The package consisted of a blue fangirl hat, fangirl enamel pin, black tote bag and a Role Model themed disposable camera.

Besides the merch, you get an earlier entry (increasing your chances to be a barricade baddie), and a chance to shop the merch table early!

While this hasn’t been the norm for any other show, he did come out on stage for a few minutes to talk with the VIP crowd. Since Phoenix is the only show that has recieved this experience it definitely adds to the overall experience. (Basically Phoenix stays winning!!)

As another part of the VIP experience there is an invitation to handwrite a personal letter to Role Model about your experiences and favorite moments at live shows, how you discovered him and any memories you’ve made during your time as a fan. These letters are collected by a team member shortly to be used in a future project. We don’t know, but we can assume it will be used in a tour recap video of some sort.

While performing his biggest song off of his deluxe album Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), called ‘Sally When The Wine Runs Out’ at every show so far (except for Phoenix…so maybe I take back my last statement) he’s invited a special guest, or fan on stage during the chorus of the song to dance, and jump around with him. This is such a cool way to engage with the crowd, and make the experience even more hype, and exciting for the audience.

The special guests have been: Jake Shane (Internet Personality), HTHaze (YouTuber named Troy, that reviews albums on his channel), Ashe (an independent artist currently opening for Kelsea Ballerini and Gracie Abrams), a young fan named Finn (it was his birthday), and a few other fans (not named/tagged in photos and videos). With Role Model still on tour this list is hopefully ever-growing.

The last special event that takes place at every show (and has been happening since he was opening for Gracie Abrams on her North American ‘The Secret of Us’ Tour) is there is a special postcard handed out to one person on the barricade every night. It goes to a “barricade baddie” a term coined by Role Model because his fans are known as baddies. This postcard is usualy signed by him and has a personal written note (a different note for each show) sharing his pre-show thoughts or random ideas that popped in his head while writing on the postcard as well as the shows date and the city’s name. It’s specially designed with plenty of Wizard of Oz easter eggs scattered around the postcard.

I personally love this idea; it’s my favorite piece of his fan experience he’s created for this tour. It adds a limited ‘one time only’ experience available for one fan, and because of the exclusivity everyone wants to be that ONE fan.

A way to make this experience even better, and a way to keep the exclusivity, but still include other fans would be to include blank postcards with the same design in the VIP package. Since these fans get an early entry, this would give them an opportunity to write Role Model a short note on their postcard to give to him! These would be cute to include in a tour recap video posted to social media and would offer a more put together look to the project they have started! Once fans have finished writing their letters on the postcard it would be nice touch if they could drop them into a mailbox shaped like a lighthouse reminiscent of Role Model’s hometown Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

As one of Role Model’s fans I can speak to the number of fans that travel for his shows(including me); going to as many as they can while he tours across the United States. A fun merch item that could be sold at each concert is a “Concert Tour Passport” where fans can collect momentos from each of their tour stops in their passport! This ties beautifully into the themes of traveling and being homesick discussed throughout his album. Fans love collectable items, especially when they are show exclusive. Each tour stop would have some sort of specifically designed stamp, sticker, or patch sold at the merch table for each show.

Another idea I had was to create a photo-op for each show with a vintage looking street sign that says “No Place Like [insert tour stop city’s name]”. This would be a fun experience for fans. It offers an exclusive photo op that is specific for each show, and gives them something to post on their social accounts which would create more buzz online about the tour!

The last idea I have to add to the fan experience is to have some subtle nods to Wizard of Oz throughout the show. The first being, rainbow confetti shooting out at the end of the show into the crows as a nod to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in the Wizard of Oz. The second idea is the have themed wristbands at each venue. Some could be a shiny red for Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, some could be yellow for the yellow brick road and green ones for the Emerald City. Including a lyric like “I clicked my heels three times” or “We’re not in Kansas Anymore” or “Take Me Home” from the song “The Dinner” off of the album would be a good way to tie the two themes together.

No matter the experience offered as a Role Model fan I know I will always leave satisfied with my night. Him and his team put together a night to remember every tour. It’s something I expect and can count on at each show. I will forever take with me the confidence Role Model teaches us to have with his presence as a performer, and the way he is unapologetically himself on stage. This is not the last time I will be at No Place Like Tour; with an experience, and environment this welcoming, contagious and lively it’s hard to stay away.

So until the next show, I’ll be clicking my heels and counting down the days-because when it comes to a Role Model show, there’s no place like home.

hugs and kisses,

from a front row fangirl