A night with Role Model in Nashville

Tucker Pillsbury, better known as Role Model, summoned a sold-out crowd at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works on a Saturday night. Nashville holds a special place in Pillsbury’s heart, and he was sure to show his gratitude. According to the postcards he writes to each city he performs for, Nashville was “one of [his] two escapes when writing Kansas Anymore”.

For the latter half of the No Place Like Tour, Debbii Dawson has been opening each night. Dawson got her start in 2022 on America’s Got Talent and has since released two EPs, Learning and How To Be Human, while touring with the likes of Orville Peck and Suki Waterhouse. The room was nearing capacity when she took the stage, serenading the crowd with her unique pop, yet folky voice. Dawson literally sparkled on the stage, with her thigh-high silver bedazzled stiletto boots and an oversized tee from her very own merch collection. She even had a bedazzled piano and water bottle to match her outfit. Dawson and her guitarist, Donnie Laudicina, share the same birthday, which happened to fall on the day of the Nashville show, so they were treated to a loud rendition of “Happy Birthday” by the crowd before the set was over.

Leading up to the headlining act, the venue speakers blasted pop hits for the pre-show music.

Sabrina Carpenter’s “Bed Chem” was the final song to play before the lights dimmed and the crowd was singing the chart-topper word-for-word. This served as a perfect segue, because the scream singing seamlessly morphed into pure screams for Pillsbury’s much anticipated entrance.

Pillsbury wore black denim-on-denim, opening his performance with his acoustic guitar. His recent 2024 album, Kansas Anymore, showcased his dabbling in country and folk sounds. The album took up most of the setlist, so he utilized his guitar for a good portion of the show. After the first song, he informed the room that he had been under the weather, so his voice would not sound its best. If he had not mentioned this, no one would have noticed he had not been feeling well because his performance was still so full of life.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter incorporates humor into his persona, sprinkling banter throughout the set.

Fans fully embraced the silliness. There was a sea of homemade signs across the crowd that referenced much of Pillsbury’s online jokes and he called out many of them.

Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), a 2025 deluxe followup to his recent album, features four new songs, all of which were on his setlist this night. During his performance of one of the deluxe album songs “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out”, Pillsbury always brings out a “Sally” to dance onstage with him. At the Nashville show, the fans were surprised with a soon-to-be fellow Gracie Abrams opener, Ashe. The two were a perfect pair as they sang along to the song together, dancing and hugging.

The night concluded with his hit song “Deeply Still In Love”. Role Model’s headlining tour wraps up on April 7th in Portland, Oregon before he jumps back on as the opener for Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us Deluxe Tour in July. Go check him out!

Photography by Stephanie Swart

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