I tried to love ROLE MODEL’s latest album, “Chuck Timely & The Hourglass,” and I was unsuccessful — until I attended his Chuck on Tour performance in Minneapolis on Sept. 18.
ROLE MODEL, Tucker Pillsbury, first captured fans’ attention with his hit “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out,” and other songs from his 2024 original and deluxe album, “Kansas Anymore.”
After buying tickets before his new album’s release, I eagerly awaited Chuck on Tour and was disappointed when his new songs failed to hook me in the same way. While fun, the composition and lyrics sounded too ordinary to appreciate: something any artist could put together without showcasing a unique sound.
I felt like this once-niche artist assimilated too much into the trendy pop music genre. But after attending his concert, I regret not trying harder to memorize his lyrics.
I was shocked at how every song felt like a hit.
It’s more popular for artists now to write songs with crowd participation in mind; those songs where the microphone is held outward because some lyrics are meant to be shouted by hundreds of voices.
For ROLE MODEL, this was the case for most songs he played, including a few from his former album. Fan-singalongs were a large part of “Joy” and “Love I You”; two songs that I had a hard time enjoying previously because of the constant filler word interruptions and spoken interlude.
By creating highly energetic and involved songs on his latest album, ROLE MODEL distracts listeners from connecting with his music. His live performance takes care of this problem.
He doesn’t need to be an extravagant performer because his songs are catchy enough to make the crowd join in, and his performance is soulful enough to provide an emotionally fulfilling experience.
By the time the concert was halfway through, Chuck’s warming and joyful performance of “The Dinner” with the crowd singing “Take me home…” made me feel like I was a part of something bigger.
While most songs felt like they were meant to be heard live, it was refreshing to hear “The Wedding” and “Honeydew,” which impressively present ROLE MODEL’s compositional talent.
His soft strumming, heartfelt storytelling and slightly raspy voice made for a true serenade.
All of the Minnesotans there screamed to “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” and its iconic lyric, “Cold like Minnesota, hotter than a fever!”
That said, the true showstopper was “Some Protector,” from “Kansas Anymore.”
The performance wasn’t just filled with the excited screams of fans. Listening to ROLE MODEL, center stage, singing what he called his favorite song, I couldn’t help but think about how amazing the entire night had been.
Regardless of how easy it is to love “Chuck Timely & The Hourglass,” live music can make even unimpressive songs sound amazing.
Hundreds of people bearing their hearts out singing “Am I guilty? Am I sorry?…” makes you realize why some pop concert-goers love ROLE MODEL.
Leila Montoya can be reached at mont1761@stthomas.edu.
