Chappell Roan Scolds VIP Section for Being 'Too Cool' to Do Her 'Hot to Go!' Dance at Outside Lands Festival

Mar. 15, 2025

Chappell Roan performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2024.Photo:Dana Jacobs/WireImage

Dana Jacobs/WireImage

Chappell Roanis all about audience participation.

While celebrating the one-year anniversary of releasing her song “Hot to Go!” at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival on Sunday, Aug. 11, the pop star, 26, called out a group who refused to do the accompanying dance: the VIP section.

After doing a tutorial of the “Y.M.C.A”-inspired dance that goes with the song, Roan noticed that the participation in the VIP area was a bit lackluster — and, in her typically bold fashion, decided to say something about it.

“It’s so weird that VIP thinks they’re so way too cool to do this!” she told the massive crowd — which was estimated to be 50,000, per theSan Francisco Chronicle— live stream footage shows.

“You’re not fun!” the star yelled as the crowd cheered. “Be fun and try!”

Chappell Roan performs at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2024.Steve Jennings/FilmMagic

Steve Jennings/FilmMagic

The dance is a staple of Roan’s set — the crowd always does it during the track’s chorus — but it was especially important to her set at Golden Gate Park as she celebrated the first anniversary of the song, which was released as a single for her debut albumThe Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princesson Aug. 11, 2023.

The performer’s onstage ensemble was also a nod to the song: She wore the sparkly, marching band-inspired leotard she rocked in the song’sofficial music video.

Speaking about the fan-favorite track with PEOPLE last year, Roan called the anthem a “cheerleading song” — and revealed the inspiration behind its now-iconic dance.

“I solely wrote it for crowd participation, because I love the ‘YMCA’ and I love the ‘Macarena,’ how everyone knows it,” she told PEOPLE with a laugh.

So, during a writing session with songwriter-producer Dan Nigro, she researched classic cheers and found “hot to go,” but put her own twist on it: “I was like, ‘What if the song’s just about being hot?’”

Chappell Roan performs at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2024.Dana Jacobs/WireImage

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Outside Lands was not the first time Roan has made a public call-out onstage. Earlier this month at another music festival, the starshared an important PSA for the crowd, and one potential listener in particular — her ex.

“I dedicate this song to my ex who was bragging that they dated me at the bar in my hometown,” Roan said, perfootageshared on X (formerly Twitter). “This is a message for your fiancée: You should break up!”

source: people.com