On the 18th of May, I spilled my GUTS with Olivia Rodrigo and 20,000 other ‘Livies’ in London, as part of her magnificent GUTS World Tour. Attending her fourth and final sold-out show at the world famous O2 Arena, Olivia Rodrigo reinstated her position in the music industry as a youthful, grungy-rocky popstar, leading the global stage.
Before the concert I had the chance to visit the ‘GUTS Gallery’ located in Shoreditch, which exhibited the artists style in a series of rooms with dedicated artwork towards her latest album ‘GUTS’. All over London, fans were flooding the city in their colourful and bold Rodrigo themed outfits, adding to the excited atmosphere. Rodrigo had even changed the carpet of the entrance to the O2 Arena to purple, a staple colour of her branding, really showing that she was in town.
As I took my seat prior to the show, it must be noted the loving and conversational behaviour of all fans to one another. Although I went alone, I felt as though I had gone with thousands of others, as the excitement and shared passion for Rodrigo’s music connected all of us.
The lights dimmed, the crowd screamed, but Rodrigo did not come out, instead it was Remi Wolf, the opener of the show. Wolf was the perfect show opener, getting the crowd grooving with her bouncy indie beats and funky lyrics.
Then the time came, the arena went pitch black, and the room filled with short bursts of drums and guitars from Rodrigo’s band. Opening up with ‘bad idea right?’, she started with a hit that got the audience on their feet and shouting the title of the song all together. Venturing between old and new hits like ‘Driver’s Licence’ and ‘Vampire’, we were in for a treat as she merged her different musical eras together in a collaboration of her works.
Rodrigo sure knew how to connect the audience to her music. Throughout the concert I and many others experienced a realism to her vulnerable and expressive lyrics, as they shaped in real life, adding another dimension to her music. During ‘Teenage Dream’, youthful home videos with audio taken by her family were displayed in the background, showing the reality of Rodrigo’s current position in the music industry, in a revealing performance that presented her childhood dream a reality.
Connecting herself closer to the audience, Rodrigo floated through the arena on a lit-up crescent moon during her performance of ‘logical’ and ‘enough for you’, adding a further element to her performance. Throughout the duration of the show, Rodrigo also had a crew of dancers appear on the stage, expressing the feelings and stories of particular songs, therefore presenting her lyricism and emotions other than just in musical form, creating a truly awe-inspiring performance.
Stripping down her music to the bare minimum, allowing the lyrics to shine through, Rodrigo also performed acoustic renditions of ‘Happier’ and ‘Favourite Crime’, giving the audience a chance to sing together and feel further connected to Rodrigo, the lyrics, and to other fans. New musical ballads and arrangements were also heard across songs, as Rodrigo made the most of her all-female band, showcasing the amazing talent on stage allowing them to all shine through individually.
Closing with mega hits, ‘good 4 u’ and ‘get him back’, Rodrigo gave a nostalgic and emotional farewell at the end of a truly magnificent hour and a half performance.
One thing the show and tour has attempted to reveal is the connection between fans, Rodrigo and her music. Performing in front of 20,000 people for four nights in a row, Olivia Rodrigo is truly living her teenage dream. As she finishes the cycle of touring, who knows what the next era reveals, but I can certainly see stadiums on the cards for her next tour.
