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Concert Review: Olivia Rodrigo Shines On Stage

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

Itā€™s a Tuesday night and I’m walking to the Kia Center in Downtown Orlando, making my way through the crowd. I see young teenage girls and boys dressed in silver skirts, glittery eye makeup, Doc Martens adorning their feet, and a whole lot of purple.Ā 

Everyone is lining up for the main event of the evening: Olivia Rodrigo’s long-awaited Guts Tour.Ā 

The Gen-Z singer is having a huge moment right now. Running high on her recent pop-rock album release (yes, rock) Guts, she performed a 95-minute set packed with the energy and stamina of a pop-punk princess. Adorned with an all-female band, choreography, multiple outfit changes, and even a flying lilac moon that floats around the arena, she has the performance qualities of a pop star with the grit and ego of a rock god.Ā 

Ā Opening with the crowd favorite ā€œBad Idea, right?ā€, Rodrigo feeds on the energy of the crowd, screaming along to the lyrics. I have to give props to her supporting band as well, which delivered an amazing tight-knit rock performance.Ā 

ā€œ Iā€™m happier than ever and I donā€™t think growing up is so scary after allā€¦ you get to know yourself more and more every year.ā€ she claims before launching into the beginning of ā€œTeenage Dreamā€, probably one of the stand-out performances of the night. Personally, as a 19-year-old myself, I shed a couple of tears. A projection of her childhood home videos flashed on the arena screen, relating to the many fears that other young people have about the fear of growing up and the anxieties of impending adulthood responsibilities.Ā 

Rodrigo added a new addition to her tour: a crew of dancers. Aiding Rodrigoā€™s already present storytelling, their presence added to the performance of her songs more than taking it away. During the song ā€œLove is Embarrassingā€ we see Rodrigo and her crew perform a choreographed dance that went viral on TikTok, the platform crediting some of the dance movements as ā€œDisney kneesā€. However, this made me appreciate the theatricality and campiness that the dancing crew offers, making Rodrigoā€™s vision stronger than ever. Letting us know sheā€™s not afraid to let loose and have fun.

The rock elements of the show refuse to be ignored. During the crowd-pleaser ā€œBrutulā€, Rodrigo joins her band in action, showing off her skills on the electric guitar, which would impress even the most gatekeeping rock fan. Even throughout the show, the accompanying drums, electric guitar, and bass shine through in even the poppiest songs, such as ā€˜Vampireā€ or ā€œDeja- vuā€.

There were also many surprises in store that night. The popular b-side track ā€œObsessedā€ which was released on the red exclusive Target vinyl, made its debut that night. Rodrigo in her red sparkly jumpsuit slinks on stage and sings about her newfound obsession with her partner’s past ex-girlfriend.Ā 

ā€œI’m so obsessed with your ex, I know sheā€™s been asleep on my side of your bedā€Ā 

Ā Making sure the crowd has time to catch their breath, The slower moments come during her performance of ā€œHappierā€. Sitting on the edge of the stage with her guitarist, we enter the acoustic section of the show. That doesnā€™t mean that the crowd doesnā€™t show her any less love. Audience members marveled at Rodrigoā€™s singing, putting their phone flashlights up as she belts her heart out to the crowd.Ā 

Rodrigo picks up the energy again with ā€œAll American Bitchā€, encouraging the audience to scream out their frustrations and anger at the height of the song, and the crowd reciprocates. Letting out a noise so thundering, I swear you could hear it from outside of the arena.

Collectively for that hour and a half, everyone in that arena was transfixed by Rodrigo’s mastery of live music. Whether you’re young or old, Rodrigoā€™s songwriting and performance qualities transcribe to all generations. It’s no wonder why sheā€™s so popular. She has the ā€œit-girlā€ factor that many have been anticipating and craving in a pop star. Rodrigo is still young (she just turned 21 a couple of weeks ago) and still has a long way to go in her career. However, I know that her fans and the world will be elated for what sheā€™ll accomplish next.Ā 

Kiara Chang is a writer for Her Campus UCF. She is studying Political Science and Communications at the University of Central Florida. Kiara spends her time watching movies, thrifting, and hanging out with friends