Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out “The Unraveled Tour” kicked off on Sept. 25 in Hartford, CT. I bought tickets two days before opening night, and I am so grateful I did.
The experience:
Pink and white flowers filled the stage, and the crowd erupted as the lights darkened. Rodrigo’s band took the stage, while a backdrop featuring Rodrigo laying in a bed of flowers slowly zoomed in as they began to play. Rodrigo rose from the flowers as if in a fairy tale, launching into her lead single, “drop dead.”
The show served as a moment of peak girlhood for women of many ages. Young girls were accompanied by their mothers and older sisters, most dolled up in pink, with some bringing back the purple grunge look from the GUTS era. Babydoll dresses, tights, platform boots, and ballet flats filled the arena, with the crowd transforming into the Olivia Rodrigo experience. Rodrigo’s lyrics bridge the gap between generations, with mothers reliving the past, teenagers living through their current heartbreaks, and young girls screaming at what may be their first concert. Even fathers joined in on making memories, taking selfies with their daughters to capture a night they will both remember.
The gravity of the night moved beyond the music to real passion. Friends sang along, screaming the lyrics; the emotions of the crowd were palpable during Rodrigo’s most vulnerable songs. Time and time again, as the opening notes of a song would ring out, girls would express the gut-wrenching familiarity of songs such as “less” and “cigarette smoke.” One girl in my section seemed to be living the lyrics, screaming every word with a breaking voice and sounding like she was holding back tears. Whoever you are, I hope ur ok.
As for me, I cried as soon as she stepped onto the stage. I was a Sophomore in high school when GUTS came out. Like every awkward 15-year-old, I needed a coming-of-age soundtrack, and this was the one I claimed as my own. Particularly, “ballad of a homeschooled girl” spoke to me as an introvert who had to step outside of her comfort zone in order to succeed academically and socially. Oh, and of course, “love is embarrassing” for all my failed Snapchat talking stages.
I am proud to say I have grown out of my introvert habits (as noted in my letter of recommendation by my Freshman year biology teacher; thank you very much). It was an out-of-body experience that I never thought I would be lucky enough to scream it live with the artist. Unfortunately, “pretty isn’t pretty” and “jealousy, jealousy” did not make it on the setlist. Sorry, 15-year-old Shannon.
The tour:
The setlist of the tour combined her three studio albums, with the most emphasis being on you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. The only song that was not played from the album was track 10 ,”what’s wrong with me” featuring The Cure’s Robert Smith.
The show’s visuals emphasized nature and moving through the seasons of the year, mirroring Rodrigo’s heartfelt journey throughout a relationship. During the opening act, Rodrigo appeared in a white babydoll dress as she danced through the spring, relishing in the excitement of her new flame. Then the show transitioned into summer, distinguished by more rock-centered songs before mellowing out into the melancholy track “purple.” As Rodrigo closed out the song singing “melt with you ’til it all turns black,” she set a sparkler ablaze, signaling the end of her relationship. Meanwhile, she sported a baby tee and tiny pink shorts (reminiscent of outfits she wore during the GUTS: World Tour when she teased lyrics to the new album).
Autumn, representing the deterioration of the relationship with Rodrigo singing “cigarette smoke” in a dark purple dress. Shocking the audience with a dramatic guitar solo and hollowing vocals which followed already devastating lyrics such as, “tell me something honest so the memories turn dark” and “it’s bone dry bitter and hollow / you’ll be miles away tomorrow / why’d I try at all?”
Winter features slower ballads on the B-stage, with Rodrigo playing the piano as snow falls around her. The season climaxed with “the cure,” which became one of the most talked-about moments of the night. On her circular B-stage, surrounded by her audience, Rodrigo’s white dress became soaked, melting with the rain. Underneath, a red bodysuit, visually solidifying her becoming “unraveled” as the relationship passed the point of mending.
Rodrigo ran around the stage to her upbeat closing tracks in a casual white tank top and light washed jeans. The 23-year-old briefly shocked the audience with a playful glimpse of her hot-pink bra during a quick change, which was broadcast on the stage screen. By the end of the night, came the return of spring. Rodrigo was not the same person who entered it at the start of the show, as her journey has now come full circle and she dons big expectations. Ensuring her audience does too, making the men chant, “she’s got big expectations” and the women, “I’ve got big expectations / I’ve got real big expectations,” replacing the vocal layers in the studio version of the song. This ending felt like an emotional catharsis for Rodrigo and audience members alike.
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