First, there was No Place Like Tour, just like first there was Kansas Anymore. Fortunately, we have been blessed with Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), as well as No Place Like Tour (The Longest Goodbye). With this last run, fans could celebrate the final moments of the Kansas Anymore-era. On the 10th of November, the tour made a stop in Tilburg’s Poppodium 013.
While waiting for the show to start, from some places in the crowd, bubbles popped up. Fans were blowing bubbles as a way to pass the time. The glittering look of the bubbles contributed to the very friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere. In the front row, there was lots of self-made merch to be seen. From bedazzled cowboy hats, to friendship-bracelet-style sunnies.
Opening the show tonight was Chloe Slater. Chances are the Dutch fans have gotten to see Slater live before, as she has been performing at multiple festivals in the Netherlands throughout the year. The ones who were not familiar with her yet were able to finally get a taste of her music tonight. When Chloe Slater entered the stage, the crowd proved just how loud they could be. It seemed as if quite some fans had indeed heard the artist sing before, as they could sing along to a lot of her songs. When she sang ‘Harriet’, the crowd pulled out their flashlights and lit up the entire room. Then, when Slater announced her next song was written about her country’s contribution to genocide, the crowd’s response was even louder than when she first entered the stage.
During the song Slater wrote about a shitty landlord, ‘Death Trap), Slater’s choreo mostly consisted of a whole lot of jumping around on the stage. She made sure to use every square meter of said stage. Her energy descended on the fans as well and more and more people started jumping along. When she announced there was going to be just one more song, you could hear a big “aaaawh” from the crowd. She surely gained some more fans with this thirty-minute set. In the speech before this last song, Slater encouraged everyone who had ever thought about possibly starting a band, to just do it, because “This is the best thing I’ve ever done!”
After Slater’s set had come to an end, another round of waiting began. The person responsible for assembling the pre-show playlist, had done a great job. Fans were singing these songs along like they were being performed on stage. Especially ‘National Anthem’ and ‘Bed Chem’ were fan-favourites
When the lights went off once more, the crowd chanted loudly with anticipation. Role Model, stage name of Tucker Pillsbury, appeared on stage in the pitchblack darkness. The light only went on again when he started singing ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ acapella. The crowd sang along like their lives depended on it. You could be standing right in front of a speaker and you would still only be hearing the crowd singing, as they were so incredibly loud.
Even in the far back of the room, the fans knew every single word of ‘Superglue’ and sang them along too. They recognised ‘Frances’ from the very first note and apparently that particular song was also a fan-favourite. At the end of the song, the room was filled with people giving each other (group)hugs.
As the show went on, Pillsbury started to tell a story. He told the audience he could never remember the full story, because “it’s too many fucking words.” That is why he had written it down in his little notebook. He thought that would be cooler to read from, instead of just from his phone. This story was about two people who he thought were always meant to be ‘Something, Somehow, Someday’ as the title of the next song goes.
Pillsbury then told the audience his favourite song would be the next one played, namely ‘Some Protector’. After his favourite came another fan-favourite, the very highly anticipated song: ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’. This song was introduced as part of the deluxe version of Kansas Anymore. With this new song, the new tradition started to always bring a fan on stage, as ‘Sally’. The tradition started with Jake Shane, as some fans speculated the song was about him. This spontaneous moment went viral and hence started a tradition which has led to a lot more of those iconic viral moments. Of course, you could hear people whisper about wanting to be tonight’s ‘Sally’. When Tucker said the infamous “Where’s my Sally?”, the latest ‘Sally’ appeared on stage. ‘Sally’ came prepared: she performed a whole routine herself, including a very impressive split. She was so incredibly energetic – the team could not have picked a better Sally. This performance truly made the show extra special.
After the height of ‘Sally, When The Wine Runs Out’, Pillsbury ended the night with another highly anticipated song: ‘Deeply Still In Love’. This was the perfect ending for such an emotional and energetic night.
