{shortcode-84e26e11f26316dd88f70af2fdc94e7da7d9d1ad}

“This is now a perfect ending to No Place Like Tour. I wouldn’t want to spend it anywhere else, baby!”

Tucker Pillsbury — better known by his stage name, Role Model — returned to Boston on April 23 with something to prove. After a lost voice, cancelled show, and brief change of plans, he took the stage at MGM Music Hall for the final stop of his world tour, delivering a performance that more than made up for the month-long wait.

As if making up for lost time, he and his band jumped right into “Writing’s On The Wall” without missing a beat, launching into the set with a burst of energy that never let up. Acoustic guitar in hand, he strummed with purpose — each chord tight, confident, and bursting with that signature Role Model sincerity. His excitement wasn’t just visible; it was contagious. With every spin, step, and side-smile at the audience, he inevitably pulled them in deeper and deeper.

Immediately after, he transitioned into “Look At That Woman,” dialing the energy back just slightly but still maintaining his magnetic pull. Its most memorable moment came at the end of the track, when Role Model softly repeated the opening lyric — “She had the hoops” — and the crowd echoed back, “white gold.” An instance of playful intimacy that turned the 5,000-person venue into something much smaller, warmer, and closer.

That dynamic — a balance between high-energy showmanship and personal connection — defined the rest of the night. Whether riffing with fans between songs, leaning over the edge of the stage to sing directly to the front row, or pausing mid-set to thank Boston for sticking with him through the reschedule, Role Model kept the performance deeply human.

There was no wall between him and the audience, making his biggest sold-out show feel all the more memorable — especially for the Boston crowd, who got more than a few moments that felt tailor-made just for them. During “The Longest Goodbye,” he swapped out the city of the original line, “Now you’re changin’ and movin’, I’ll take my ass to Houston,” for “Boston,” and later in “The Dinner,” he and the audience added a little extra pride — and volume — to the line “New England-born and raised,” chanting it like a badge of honor.

Not every part of the night went off without a hitch, but even the rough edges added to the show’s charm. At one point, Role Model spotted a fan sign asking him to be her date to her formal, and he decidedly turned her down, earning a collective laugh from the crowd. Further along in the set, in another candid moment, he admitted to reading the lyrics to “Something, Somehow, Someday” off a page, joking that he still couldn’t memorize them all — afterwards handing the paper off to a lucky audience member at the end of the song.

Despite a few unplanned detours, the elements of intention didn’t go unnoticed. One standout element was the lighting design, which was consistently thoughtful and flawlessly executed. The most evident example came during “Frances,” when Role Model sat alone on the stage platform under a single spotlight, singing “If I didn’t push you / Out of the spotlight,” framed by an empty, darkened background. Another memorable staging moment came during “Oh, Gemini,” when stark blue hues lit the main stage, accented by yellow beams and a cascade of shimmering white lights during the bridge — a visual standout that set the performance apart from the rest of the night.

No recap of the night would be complete without mentioning Role Model’s performance of “Slut Era Interlude” — an undeniable highlight that checked every box: lighting, intimacy, tension, and vocals. It began slow and vulnerable under a wash of red light, drawing the crowd in. But when the bridge hit, everything shifted — percussion pulsed heavier, the stage lit up with flashes of white and purple layered over the red, and Role Model delivered soaring high notes that stood apart from anything else in the set.

Another highlight of the night was his much-anticipated performance of “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out.” Throughout the tour, Role Model has kept up the tradition of inviting a “Sally” on stage for the bridge — past guests have included fans pulled from the crowd or surprise appearances from celebrities like Reneé Rapp and Dylan Minnette of “Wallows.” As this performance was the final night of the tour, Boston’s “Sally” had a lot to live up to — and she certainly did. Pillsbury brought out his mother to join him on stage — matching outfit and all. The gesture felt even more intentional given his t-shirt — one that read “Child of my mother,” a lyric from “The Dinner” that now felt like a clever bit of foreshadowing.

The energy never wavered, the connection deepened, and the final moments sealed the night as something unforgettable. Boston got the best version of Role Model: raw, funny, honest, and completely present. And with his final declaration of love via his performance of “Deeply Still In Love” ringing through MGM Music Hall, there really was no better place to end it all.

—Staff writer Melina Fonseca can be reached at melina.fonseca@thecrimson.com.