Olivia Rodrigo Spills Her ‘GUTS’ at Triumphant 4-Night Run in New York City

Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA

Olivia Rodrigo announced to last night's GUTS Tour audience that she was shutting off the lights to let them scream as loud as they want during her hit track "All-American Bitch." As Madison Square Garden was submerged into darkness, the sold-out crowd collectively let out a screech that could have caused yet another earthquake.

As the lights came back up, the universal themes of Rodrigo's music were exemplified as it was more than just teenagers letting out their anger. The "Good 4 U" singer pulled in a broad range of fans, all voraciously ready to use the concert as a therapy session of sorts.

Beginning with her star turn in Disney's High School Musical: the Musical: the Series, Rodrigo was notably prominent to Gen-Alpha consumers, releasing her debut single at 17-years-old. After the song took off to massive success, her stardom surpassed the pre-teen consciousness and was embraced by Gen-Z, Millennials, and beyond.

Her wide appeal was evident last night, with every lyric of "Driver's License" being belted out by an emotional army. After her SOUR Tour strictly played theaters, the upgrade to the 19,500-seat venue also displayed an upgrade in performance, stage presence, and vocal strength as the GRAMMY-winner fearlessly commanded the stage, performing 23 of her beloved songs - which amounts to nearly every song in her discography.

Audience members - called "Livies," according to Rodrigo's official fan page - passionately crooned along to songs like "Deja Vu" and "Vampire," with individual fans noticeably belting out certain lyrics they had adopted for their own life story.

Throughout the heart-wrenching lyrics of songs like "The Grudge" and "Making the Bed," the concert still proves to be a messy romp of young adult angst and teenage dreams with jolty choreography and glossy visuals.

Rodrigo, who proudly announced that she had just turned 21, continues to grow into her woman-hood with a confidence that ironically juxtaposes lyrics like "I'm anxious and nothing can help / And I wish I'd done this before / And I wish people liked me more." Her casual banter with the audience and ability to bounce around the stage while belting out high-octane tracks like "Brutal" proves to be a massive feat for the young star.

Throughout her four-night-run at the Garden, Rodrigo was joined by a series of special guests. On Friday's opening night, Noah Kahan accompanied her for a rendition of his beloved single, "Stick Season," which Rodrigo has shared her affection for in the past.

During Tuesday's closing show, singer-songwriter Jewel popped onstage to perform "You Were Meant For Me," a full-circle moment after Rodrigo says she used her album as inspiration while writing SOUR.

"She is such an incredible songwriter. When I first started writing my songs, I would listen to her album Pieces of You before I went to bed," Rodrigo said, before their duet. "She's incredible and it's such an honor that she's here with me tonight."

Aside from the up-sized venus, the concert also featured amped up production value that quickly turned into a jaw-dropping spectacle as Rodrigo ascended from a crescent moon to perform "Logical" while flying over the audience in an orbit of floating purple stars and lit up cell phone cameras.

Just before the closing encore performance of "Get Him Back!," Rodrigo pulled out a mega-phone to ask: "Are you still with me, New York?" If the roaring ovation that responded was any indication, the crowd was still there - and will be for years to come.

Tags
Olivia Rodrigo, Jewel, Concert
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