Role Model Delivers for The Divas in Portland Night Two
April 8th, 2025 - Portland, Oregon
Photo via Instagram
Role Model has made being one of the internet’s favorite white boys his brand. Known for his diva-dom and silly stage presence, he made night two in Portland one to remember. Tucker Pillsbury, the singer-songwriter behind Role Model, rose to the spotlight after his tour with Gracie Abrams and complete rebrand for 2024’s Kansas Anymore. Since then, songs such as “Look At That Woman,” “Deeply Still In Love,” and “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” have brought him a whole new wave of fans, and the ‘No Place Like Tour’ Tour was close to selling out completely.
The only thing that makes a long-awaited concert better is a great opener. Role Model’s choice of opening act did not disappoint. Debbii Dawson brought an electric set to the Crystal Ballroom, filled with synthy 80s nostalgia that blended smoothly with a modern pop sound. Though small, her voice is big. It’s easy to say that I was mesmerized, especially by “Happy World” and “You Killed The Music.” She was a killer choice to get the crowd excited.
I knew Role Model had gotten on stage when a chorus of young girls started screeching. Opening the set with “Writing’s on the Wall” had everyone singing so loud I couldn’t even hear Pillsbury, but his stage antics were enough to keep me otherwise entertained. I’ve been a Role Model fan since 2019 and it’s wonderful to see Pillsbury embrace the fame he’s worked for and truly come into himself on stage. His smile was about a mile wide the entire set, much like everyone elses.
“Look At That Woman” was an obvious crowd pleaser. Again, I could hardly hear Tucker sing over the hoards of young fans that surrounded me, but it was surreal to see him in front of me after so many years of hoping and praying to get to see him live. “Superglue” was a personal favorite, and the song in which the classic Role Model dance moves began to show themselves.
“We’re gonna make it through / A little bit of superglue / Stick by my side.”
Photo via Instagram
The songs that were most precious to me were “that’s just how it goes” and “blind.” Oh, how perfect and our little angel are two projects that feel like long summer nights with the windows down, and being as that those two were the only oldies, I clung tightly to them. The crowd embraced the old songs, but it was clear to me that the new fans dig Kansas Anymore much more than his previous projects. Pillsbury’s cover of “Somebody Else” by the 1975 (or, as he put it, ‘The 1965’) was exceptional. The song itself fits his vibe of heartbreak wrapped neatly in an addictive melody, so the cover felt like an extension of his own music. The crowd went crazy, swaying along and singing louder than Tucker himself.
How else could he close the show than besides with “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” and “Deeply Still In Love”? Portland n.2’s Sally was absolutely a diva— the adorable stranger danced around with Tucker and made for a fun and memorable Sally performance. If I thought the crowd couldn’t sing louder, they did during “Deeply Still in Love.” It was obvious that every person in that room had made memories to last a lifetime, and are presumably already impatient for the next time Role Model comes through town.
