Two Willard grads reconnected when this drag queen opened for Chappell Roan in St. Louis
Nearly 10 years ago, Ryan Baxter and Kayleigh Amstutz regularly passed one another through the halls of Willard High School. Last week, the two pranced across the same stage in front of 5,000 screaming fans.
Amstutz, who is more commonly known by her stage name Chappell Roan, performed a sold-out concert as part of her "The Midwest Princess Tour" at the Saint Louis Music Park on May 30. Rather than a traditional opener, like a local, regional or touring band, Amstutz hires local drag queens to perform before her at concerts. Baxter, who performs under the drag name Manna Steticcc Highland, was one of three St. Louis queens selected for last week's performance.
In comparison to other queens across the country, who meet Amstutz as Roan for the first time backstage, chatting before last week's concert was like a class reunion for Baxter. The two were students at Willard Public Schools at the same time — Amstutz was a year older. Though they were both actively involved in the performance arts, Baxter said he wasn't close to Amstutz in school. He described her as "laser-focused" on "being a star."
"She was in every talent show I went to and she also was in choir, so we were kind of roped into the same activities but never super close," Baxter told the News-Leader on Thursday. "And look at her now. It took her 10 years but ... now she's a sensation."
Despite knowing Amstutz, Baxton didn't initially jump at the opportunity to perform at her St. Louis concert. Even after one of his regulars at the Grey Fox Pub, an LGBTQIA+ bar in St. Louis where he hosts drag shows each Friday night, sent him the drag queen application, Baxter remained hesitant.
"I was like, 'Eh, I'll think about it,' and then later that night at the show I was a little tipsy and I was like, 'You know what ... I'm going to do it,'" Baxter recalled.
The application, a Google Form, asks drag queens to submit a bit of background information about themselves, in addition to photos of their best looks and a video of their favorite performance. Baxter said after about a month, he heard from Roan's team, informing him that he'd been chosen to open for the St. Louis concert.
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Initially, Baxter thought the concert was at The Pageant, an indoor music venue in St. Louis with a maximum capacity of 2,000 people. But upon connecting with Roan's team the day-of to clarify a piece of information about his performance, Baxter learned that the concert was actually at Saint Louis Music Park.
"I looked up the max capacity, because it was a sold-out concert, and it was 5,000, and I kind of s**t myself a little bit," Baxter said. He had never performed in front of a crowd that size before. At the Gray Fox Pub, Baxter is used to about 40 people in his audience.
Arriving to the venue a few hours early to finish getting ready, tour the stage and run through a mic check, Baxter said he threw up four times before the concert due to nerves. He was the first of the three queens to perform.
"I was really nervous before my track began to play and luckily I had a little bit of an intro so I was like, 'Okay, it's just 5,000 people. It's just a number.'"
Sporting a neon orange two piece, white knee-high boots and signature ponytail, Baxter, as Manna Steticcc Highland, lip-synced to "Breathin'" and "Into You" by Ariana Grande. Baxter said he chose "Breathin'" as an ode to Pride Month, specifically as a message from a queer individual who fears anti-legislation in the state of Missouri. As for "Into You," Baxter said he wanted to choose a song that would "hype up" the crowd.
Despite his anxiety, Baxter described the crowd as "electric," which helped him move with ease throughout his number.
"Usually at my shows, walking on stage I have to do 19 splits before anyone's hands clap together," Baxter said. "I literally squatted down in the first three words of my mix and they lost their minds (at the concert)."
In addition to dancing on stage to his two songs, Baxter, and the other two queens, were able to "host," meaning they introduced each other to the crowd. Baxter was joined by Visa D'Cline and Chloe Curiosity.
More than anything, Baxter said he enjoyed knowing that the opening drag show was the first for many in the crowd.
"It was a lot of people's first drag show because a lot of drag (bars/clubs) in St. Louis are 21 and up ... so being a 16-year-old's first drag queen they ever saw ... that's more important to me than any amount of money."
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But when it came to money, the concert proved to be fruitful, too. Baxter said each queen was paid $250 to perform, in addition to about $1,000 in tips each of them made. For a comparison, Baxter said he typically makes between $150-200 during his Friday night shows at the Grey Fox Pub, including his show pay.
"It's kind of cool to watch an old person you sat with in science class help you out," Baxter said of Amstutz. "She's absolutely giving back to the queer community and it's incredible."
Today, Baxter lives in St. Louis, but he grew up in Willard and started his drag queen career in Springfield. His first drag performance was at Martha's Vineyard in 2021. He can still recall what he wore that night: a pink dress, go-go boots and a blonde wig he bought on Amazon. He lip-synced to Ariana Grande's "Positions." Following Roan's concert last week, Baxter said he is looking forward to new opportunities that may arise in his drag career.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Willard drag queen opens Chappell Roan's concert in St. Louis
