ROLE MODEL Heats Up Minneapolis on his ‘No Place Like Tour’ Show
Excitement has been building to catch ROLE MODEL live since July of 2024, when the indie-pop singer-songwriter released his second album, Kansas Anymore. Approaching the North Loop venue, there was no question as to whether or not this was a sold-out show. I’ve never seen such a long line at The Fillmore! Luckily, I made it in with plenty of time to see the show opener, Debbii Dawson.
Debbii is actually from a small town about an hour outside of Minneapolis, so you could consider this a hometown show for her. There were even some people in the audience with signs welcoming her home, and she also said hi to her sister, who was in the crowd. If you haven’t heard of Debbii Dawson before, she’s definitely one to give a listen to. She has such a unique style, blending elements of pop, country, folk, and even a little bit of rock. Her voice is reminiscent of Dolly Parton, and a few of her songs gave ABBA vibes! Her performance was a great way to kick off the night.
After Debbii took the stage, the audience was ramped up, and you could feel the excitement in the room building as the minutes ticked by. Seeing everyone there for ROLE MODEL, whose name is Tucker, was so cool to witness as such a long-time fan. When I first saw Tucker live almost four years ago, it was at a tiny venue in St. Paul, and I remember being so surprised at the venue not being absolutely packed. Fast forward a couple of years, and Tucker has taken some huge strides forward in his career. Opening for Gracie Abrams on her The Secret of Us Tour definitely got a lot more eyes on him, which he is incredibly deserving of.
When the lights turned down and Tucker took the stage, the crowd went absolutely wild! They were some of the loudest people I have heard in a while, that’s for sure. As the lights came up, Tucker introduced himself as Ed Sheeran, a bit that he does at every concert where he introduces himself as a different artist. He and the band then went right into his first song, Writing’s On The Wall, which is also the song that opens the album. The fun, upbeat jam was the perfect way to get the show going. Tucker and his band then played the hit, Look at That Woman. Before continuing his set, Tucker was interacting with the crowd and letting everyone know it would be a great show.
Tucker mostly stuck to his newest album’s songs but did throw in his beloved Somebody Else cover by The 1975. As his set was coming to a close, he noted he would be playing one more slow song, Compromise, and that the last few songs would be a party, which did not disappoint. Another tradition Tucker has created on this tour is bringing a fan onstage to be his ‘Sally’ for the night. This person gets brought on stage when the band starts playing the hit single, Sally, When The Wine Runs Out. The crowd was extra loud for this song as it’s super upbeat and good vibes, but also because Minnesota gets a shoutout in one of the lines. When Tucker sang the, ‘cold like Minnesota’ line from the song, the crowd screamed it at the top of their lungs, loving every second of it. Tucker then wrapped up the show with an encore song, Deeply Still In Love.
I had so much fun at this show and it was so full-circle to go from being in the back of a tiny venue seeing ROLE MODEL to being in the pit at a much larger venue. Although most of his shows are sold out for this tour, Tucker will be playing at multiple different music festivals this summer, including The Governor’s Ball in NYC and Bonnaroo in TN. If you have the chance to make it to any of his shows, I have no doubt you’d be glad you did!
