The Unraveled Tour has been long awaited since its announcement in April, and I had the privilege of attending DC Night 2. This article is an honest review of the concert and my experience.
The music
Let’s first start with her new album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love. I absolutely love this album, with my favorite song being “Expectations,” like so many others. I think her lyrics are so witty and the melodies are incredible. Her new album delivers an emotional kick with each lyric and has fans wanting more. I appreciate the variety of slow, sad songs and more energetic, poppy beats. The variety helps cover many different attitudes, so depending on your mood, there’s a song for you.
The Concert
Now to the concert: when I first arrived, my mom and I got there 45 minutes before the doors opened, and I cannot recommend it enough. We were some of the first to arrive, with a short line for general entry, not the line for floor tickets. When we finally entered at 6 pm, there was no line for merch or beverages, and a minimal line for the tour’s photo backdrop. Plus, we found our seats early, so we could watch the crew set up the flowers on the stage before the opening band.
The opener
At 7 pm, the opener, Wolf Alice, came on for about 45 minutes of playing time. I’ll be honest: I heard they were amazing prior to the concert, but I was underwhelmed. We had seats on the side of the stage, so that may have altered the sound of the music. However, it shouldn’t have had that effect, especially considering Olivia and her band sounded just fine. Anyhow, the instruments were too loud and sounded off, which drowned out the main singer’s voice, so we couldn’t understand anything she was singing. And while I think I had the potential to like Wolf Alice, it just was not right for me. I wouldn’t write them off as bad altogether, but they didn’t sound right for the DC show, so keep that in mind before attending the concert.
The unraveled tour
Now onto the main event, Olivia Rodrigo.
We had seats where the screen was a little obstructed, but that meant we could see some backstage setup, and we watched Olivia get ready. From what we could see on the screen, there was a video of her sleeping in the grass that was reactive when she began performing. Her opening song “Drop Dead” was fantastic, and her rising from the surrounding flowers on the stage was a fabulous way to start her 2-hour performance.
Overall, some highlights of the concert were her playing instruments along with her songs. She played both guitar and piano, which was amazing to see, and made the songs feel more real. Especially for the slower, sadder songs, like “Honeybee”, where Olivia played the piano, the live instrumental made the song a much more emotional experience due to her emotion not just in her singing but in her playing as well. Â
Olivia’s details
Throughout the performance, there were many outfit changes to match the themes of the songs she’d sing, which was chic and much appreciated. The stage changed with her; in between songs, when Olivia was off-stage, her crew would alter the flower arrangement or move other props/instruments to fit the planned choreography or effects. Some of my favorite stage effects were the fog machine that covered the stage and created cool visuals with lighting underneath the fog, which is illustrated in the photograph below. And, of course, the viral dissolving dress under the rain during her iconic song, “The Cure”.
However, I will say there were many moments when Olivia was changing outfits between sets, and there were a few minutes with nothing going on. Omitting the crew altering the stage, due to us not having a good screen view, it was a little boring waiting until she came back on stage. There were always images shown on the large screen during these breaks, but we couldn’t see what was displayed. But even then, we entertained ourselves by watching the crew and seeing if Olivia peeks out behind the stage, so it’s not a detriment to the concert experience.
What made Olivia’s concert special?
Olivia also narrated throughout her concert. Early on, she introduced her all-woman band, with three backup vocalists, two guitarists, one bassist, one on the keys, and one drummer. Compared to other popular pop artists, there weren’t backup dancers or pre-recorded music. Olivia sang and played live, and it felt much more spontaneous on stage. And to this, my mom declared that it was “much more of a rock concert than a pop concert,” with which I agree (Katie Jones, 2026). Between songs, she occasionally narrated about her songwriting process, like with “Begged” and how she wrote it in a hotel room while her best friend was sleeping in the middle of the night. Her stories greatly increased my appreciation for her music, knowing that they were emotions she was feeling at that moment and were true to her.
My highlight
Lastly, my favorite part of the evening was her closing song, Expectations. That is one of my absolute favorites, and the lyrics and meaning really resonate with me. I loved how she, of course, sang “Expectations”, but also got everyone involved in the energy of the moment. She instructed everyone to jump and dance before the song began, and then had both guys and girls chime in toward the end, and the energy was electric. Olivia, I feel, is spreading good ideals to the broad ages of girls and women that go to her concert: that you should have big expectations, and you shouldn’t lower them for “a guy with a fake job”.
Overall, the Unraveled Tour was the absolute best concert I have ever had the privilege of attending, and it helped that I love the artist and the music. If possible, I recommend that everyone try to see Olivia perform, because I do not doubt that you will enjoy every second of her performance. I can’t wait for her to release another album, eventually, and hopefully get to attend another of her fantastic performances.