One of the best things that happened to me in 2024 was that I had occasion to see your favorite artist’s favorite artist at the 1,400-person Vic Theatre in Chicago. The following day, she would perform to the largest daytime audience in the history of Lollapalooza. But that night, in a venue small enough that every chorus shook the rafters, I got to see my favorite new musician in ages take the stage and muscle through her catalog with power and grace.

The main thing I notice when I watch Chappell live is how difficult her songs are to sing. High notes like the ones in “Good Luck Babe!” and “Red Wine Supernova” stretch to the very top of her voice. Uptempo numbers like “HOT TO GO!” threaten to leave her out of breath. Kiss-offs like “My Kink Is Karma” require that she stomp and belt and scream.

No wonder, then, that as her tour went on she adopted the trick of so many performers before her: extending her microphone into the audience and asking them to sing the words. This is at once a totally reasonable compromise and (to me, an unreasonable fan) a disappointment. For the most part, I did not click on the YouTube video to watch the audience sing. I want to hear Chappell!

What a delight, then, that the most recent upload to Roan’s YouTube channel captures her singing the whole of “The Subway.” A power ballad that requires more power than most, “The Subway” has been a staple of Roan’s live set since I first saw it two summers ago. It has evolved less than some of her other songs, having been conceived as a live performance from the beginning. But when she hits those final glory notes, the moment still stuns. There is only one person at that festival who can hit those notes, and it’s the genius onstage.