PHOTO BY ALLY BONSALL
I can’t stand it when a man is funnier than me.
While performing to a packed crowd in Irving, Texas, ROLE MODEL took a moment to get serious. Or so the crowd thought. The “Sally” singer said he wanted the Irving crowd to be the first to hear that one of his greatest dreams had finally come true. Cheers erupted as he screamed he was nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award.
ROLE MODEL pretended to break down in tears as the cheers grew louder. Antics like these for Tucker Pillsbury, the popstar behind ROLE MODEL, are part of what makes attending his concerts such a joy.
That joy felt contagious amongst the crowd. Pillsbury has a knack for connecting with his fans, both on and off stage. From his ongoing rivalry between himself and his alter ego, Saint Laurent Cowboy, to his fans regularly calling him Sabrina Carpenter, his concerts feel like you are joking around with an old friend you share hundreds of inside jokes with.
ROLE MODEL Presents: Chuck on Tour is full of laughs and songs from Kansas Anymore and Chuck Timely and the Hourglass. Other than a few tiny breaks, there was never a lag in Pillsbury’s performance. There was no need for fancy costume changes or elaborate choreography; the magical connection between Role Model and his fans was more than enough.
ROLE MODEL fans Sam Spiering and Mikayla Cathcart told Pleaser that they admire him for his dedication to connecting with fans.
“I can personally connect to his humor because he actually posts and engages with fans and has jokes with his fan base, which I feel like a lot of artists, especially when they're bigger, don't have,” Spiering said.
“I think it makes the concert experience just more personable because you're not just a number in the crowd. He's actually interacting with you, and I think that's a super cool part,” Cathcart said.
Fans felt like they were in on the fun throughout his performance. Pillsbury busts a move while the fans chanted “Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!” repeatedly during “Love I You,” and the bridge of “Sally” is a true moment of celebration for the fandom. Pillsbury’s voice almost disappeared as he let his fans sing the iconic bridge of “Some Protector.”
“Now this is the point in the show where it’s not my song anymore. It’s not my job. It’s your song, and I’m going to put the f*cking spotlight on you, and you’re going to sing it like it’s your song. I know you got it in there somewhere,” Pillsbury said to the crowd.
Fans held each other in their arms and bopped their heads back and forth, chanting the bridge of “Some Protector” while Pillsbury strummed his guitar. The moment captured what makes Pillsbury’s performances so electric: for a few minutes, the song was just as much the crowd’s as it was his.
As a fan, I left the Pavilion feeling like I had just caught up with an old friend I had not seen in a while, but it felt like no time had passed. Pillsbury does not just sing about“Joy”; he brings that contagious feeling into the arena. I still cannot stand when a man is funnier than me, but unfortunately, ROLE MODEL makes it very hard not to laugh along.