If you had told my 18-year-old self that I would attend Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, I wouldn’t have believed you. I was a freshman in college, recently heartbroken over a situationship, and felt solace listening to Drivers License when it first came out. Maybe it was because I had never really experienced heartbreak, or because everything in the lyrics paralleled my current state of mind, but I had not identified with anyone’s heartbreak — that is until GUTS came out.
When Sour was released on May 21, 2021, I slowly began to heal and move on, and soon found myself obsessed with Rodrigo’s lyricism. When sophomore year rolled around, I met my college roommate and best friend who helped me get through another heartbreak. We both loved Olivia and found ourselves desperately trying to go see the SOUR Tour when it came to our city. Unfortunately, we didn’t get tickets, but it was thanks to Olivia that our friendship really blossomed.
The minute that it was announced that Rodrigo was dropping a second album titled Guts and that there was the possibility of a new tour, I quickly messaged my best friend. We both had one thing on our minds: We had to see this album live. It was potentially going to be one of our last times hanging out together at a concert during college, as both of us are set to graduate in 2024.
So, even if we failed to secure our presale codes, we still tried. Thankfully, her mom gave us her presale code and got us tickets to the concert.
It felt so right, and the countdown to see the Guts World Tour had officially begun.
Attending the Guts World Tour on February 28 taught me so much about not only Rodrigo as a performer but also about myself and my best friend. We had both seen each other through many heartbreaks, friendship fallouts, and tumultuous situations that had brought us to this point. We were no longer the 18 and 19-year-olds talking late at night about how Rodrigo helped us through our sadness. Now we’re mature women who can scream the lyrics out with no hesitation or lingering thoughts.
Most people love Rodrigo for her quirky, euphoric lyrics that relate to teenage heartbreak. However, the way I look at Rodrigo is that her lyrics reflect a level of maturity and growing up in the 2020s, especially as a young woman. Her lyrics deal with topics of disillusionment through success, the painful feeling of unrequited love, the idea of youth disappearing, and the pressures we feel as women.
At the Guts World Tour, you could see different aged women, whether they were young girls or grown adults, singing their hearts out to Rodrigo’s words. Rodrigo’s songs aren’t really made for a young audience, but rather for those who can identify with her lyrics.
There was a moment during the Guts World Tour that made me realize that attending this concert was a pivotal moment in my life. I remember looking towards the audience during Teenage Dream, singing and realizing that maybe, it could get better as you get older. I had to learn how to grow up these last few years, and I was able to get everything I wanted during my four years at college.
I finally felt comfortable acknowledging that I was growing up, becoming more content with my choices, and closing out this chapter in my life.
I looked at my best friend, who was tearing up while singing Teenage Dream. This made me realize one thing: both Sour and Guts had been the soundtracks to my coming of age. My best friend has seen all the versions of me, the happy and sad, and we mended our hearts to Rodrigo’s songs.
It made me realize that the reason Rodrigo’s music has resonated with me is because her songs talk about growing up and attending this concert made me so proud that a singer could help me embrace who I have become while bringing me and my best friend closer.