Olivia Rodrigo began her GUTS World Tour this year and she is just getting started. It began in February of this year and will end in August of 2024. The tickets for the tour sold out within minutes of going on sale, leaving some fans excited to experience the tour and others wishing they made the cut. After the high demand, over twenty more shows were added to the date lists, making her play two shows in a row at the same venue. This allowed for those disappointed fans to have another chance at seeing her live.

I had the amazing opportunity to see Olivia on night one in Boston at TD Garden. All I can say is it was a surreal experience. Upon arrival, I rushed to my seat and waited for it to begin. Before Rodrigo took the stage, Chappel Roan opened for her. The crowd was very excited to see her open the tour and it got everyone out of their seats and warming up for the main act. I thought the performance was excellent and enthusiastic. Chappel Roan had a lot of energy and knew how to engage the crowd. I like when singers have openers, because it makes the audience get all their built up anticipation out while getting exposed to new talent. It also allows the budding artist to gain a following and exposure to hopefully get thrusted into the spotlight.

After Chappel Roan, there was a brief intermission before a large screen on the stage displayed giant purple candles forming the word “GUTS”. The crowd immediately screamed with excitement and the virtual candles were all lit. It was an amazing digital display that captured the growing excitement for the start of the main event. The virtual candles were melting and flickering which caused the fans to scream uncontrollably. We could not take our eyes off the screen as it was a countdown to see Olivia Rodrigo. I felt my pulse increase with anticipation of how Rodrigo may make her entrance. As the candles were almost completely burned, the lights went down and there was a pause followed by loud screams and anticipation from the crowd. Music from her song “bad idea right?” rang through the arena. I felt it in my chest and immediately jumped on my feet. On the screen, you could see a silhouette of a person running through various hallways, until a hand starts knocking on a purple door and the lights flicker. The music would go in and out before people finally saw the stage start rising, and Olivia came out from underneath the stage on a lift, and she immediately started singing. It was such a climactic moment and better than what I had imagined. 

It was such a surreal moment to see this unfold, as it had been my first time seeing her in concert. Everyone was standing, and cheering as she played and had fun on the stage. The excitement from both Olivia and the audience was such a thrilling moment for everyone. Especially as a young rising artist, she has quickly become one of the most talked about people of the year. Throughout the entire show, she kept the audience entertained, as well as having them sing along to her songs. She had moments where in between songs, she interacted with the crowd and pointed out posters, and even complimented how people were dressed. There was a giant screen behind her, showing clips of people in the audience who had come with family and friends. Her theme of the night was spreading positivity and trying to make each person there feel special and unique. The crowd was feeling it. 

Some things I really admired about the show were the lights and how they had different shades and hues illuminating the entire room. Another thing I really liked was the screen behind her changing between songs; my favorite was when it showed her shadow in the middle of a full moon during her song “vampire”. I think all of it came together, so people could get a sense of the mood set for her songs, by projecting many pictures and including various colors throughout the performance. The concert engaged all senses and left us craving more. 

My favorite part from the entire concert was when she performed her song “logical”, while sitting on a large lit up purple crescent moon that was floating throughout the arena. There were lit up descending stars above her and the moon started moving from the stage suspended in air. It began to slowly travel and make a full circle around the venue. Rodrigo got to wave and say hello to everyone in the crowd. It felt as if she was reaching out to every single person in attendance. It was something I had never seen before and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was incredibly beautiful to experience something like that, and it was completely unexpected which added to the excitement. The color variations of the stars and the light purple crescent moon added to the impact the song has on fans. 

While playing her song “teenage dream”, Rodrigo was sitting at a piano while pictures of her younger self were displayed on a large screen behind her. As a fan, I felt a deeper connection to her as if I traveled through her childhood with her. We felt the same emotions as we sang along with her and she appeared to have a happy, normal childhood filled with smiles. It makes the artist relatable to the fans. We see her as a person who started life as an innocent girl who perhaps had her own role models and artists she looked up to. It made Rodrigo even more likable because she seemed so down to earth and normal. Rodrigo came to the stage as a young woman throwing a huge party that was inclusive. Everyone was welcome there and made us feel unique. 

To say that this was an amazing concert is certainly an understatement. If you have the opportunity to attend, I highly recommend it. You will be in for a great time if you do. Having the opportunity to attend concerts and see artists like Olivia Rodrigo, is truly a privilege. Concerts allow the fans to have a more meaningful and deeper connection to the songs and the artist. It is a multisensory experience that allows the crowd to feel the music in their souls. With each concert I attend, It has its own individual experience, and I really admire that.