When the lights came back on after Olivia Rodrigo left the “GUTS” tour stage at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, I was in shock. I had spent months waiting for this one night, and it was already over. Every time a concert ends, I tend to feel a bit relieved. The anxiety of trying to purchase tickets, the stress of finding the perfect outfit, and the desperate attempts to get a good spot for photos and videos make it genuinely feel like a full-time job. As a huge fan of Olivia Rodrigo (not to brag, but I have literally known her since she played Grace in the American Girl Doll movie), I knew I wanted to be able to see “GUTS” live. I had a harder time getting tickets than I did for the “SOUR” tour, which was expected, but I could not be more grateful that I got the tickets I did.
Back in 2022, I attended her “SOUR” tour in Chicago night one, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. For starters, seeing Rodrigo live and in concert for the first time ever was surreal, and it was such a special and intimate show. “SOUR” was released right before my senior year of high school, and as someone who is the same age as Rodrigo, every song she has created feels like it was written with me in mind. I attended the show with two of my best friends, and we traveled all the way from Ohio to sleep in the streets of Chicago. Living in a world where concert culture means camping in front of a venue to stand as close as possible to the artist performing is not for the weak. My dad and little sister came with us on the trip and got to get a good night’s sleep in the hotel while my friends and I shivered in a side alley next to the Aragon Ballroom in downtown Chicago. It was hailing and raining, and we arrived in the middle of a wind storm. For some reason, none of us thought to bring a tent, so we sat in three fold-out chairs, huddled in blankets with tears frozen to our faces. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
The actual show is a blur to me. Gracie Abrams, another one of my favorite artists, was the opener. I can still picture the lights flashing as the band played the opening notes of Rodrigo’s hit song “brutal.” I can remember the moment Rodrigo came on stage and the way that the entire crowd started frantically screaming. Of course, I remember stand-out moments, and I know that I had an incredible time, but for me, the greatest memory of the night came after the show concluded.
I had written a letter and created a notebook intended as a gift for Olivia. The notebook, a composition book I had decorated with gemstones and a meme of Nick Miller from “New Girl,” was slightly damaged from the weather, but when one of the members of Rodrigo’s team came down the line to collect the gifts fans had brought for her, I decided to hand it over anyway. By the end of the show, I decided to ask a security guard if he knew whether the gifts had made their way to Olivia or not, and he wasn’t sure. My friends and I were making our way out of the venue when my phone started buzzing with notifications. I looked at the screen and screamed.
“hi sweet hannah” appeared, the Twitter direct message notification coming from none other than Olivia Rodrigo herself. My phone continued to buzz as more and more messages came in, all regarding the things I had written about in my letters to her. I was so shocked that I literally fell to the ground and began rolling around on the floor of the Aragon Ballroom. Purple heart-shaped confetti was sticking to my body and a crowd of teenage girls, including my two best friends, were looking at me with judgment. But I didn’t care. Olivia Rodrigo had texted ME.
Topping that was going to be hard, but I knew the “GUTS” Tour would be incredible no matter what. After securing my tickets (shoutout to the friend who helped me get a presale code!), I was beyond excited. I was more prepared than ever to camp out this time and was determined to get barricade. My best friend flew in from Texas just for the occasion. Two of my closest friends, my three little sisters and I got to the venue the day before the show. I cannot stress enough how serious this was for me and my group, and we were somehow third in line. Normally, fans had been camping way before that–we were expecting many more people. Ironically, for most of the night it was just us. It ended up being so cold that we decided to spend a few hours at the hotel before returning to our tent super early on the morning of the show.
We made friends with the people in our line and the security guards before eventually being led in. The walk up to the barricade was genuinely insane–we had to stand together, two at a time, and walk at a uniform pace to not mess up and cause a stampede. My group, the friends we made in the line and I got center barricade–front and center. I was so relieved that we had finally gotten there and was so beyond excited. This all may sound insane, but as someone who grew up running a stan Twitter account, I have always viewed concerts as a multiple-day event. In fact, I was more calm when it came to the “GUTS” Tour than the “SOUR” tTour.
Chappell Roan was the opener of my show, and I was beyond ecstatic to see her live. Roan is a relatively new lesbian singer with wildly catchy tunes and a drag aesthetic. I love her music and knew I was in for a great time. Naturally, her set was incredible. Our crowd had one of the biggest numbers of participants for the “HOT TO GO!” dance, and the energy in the audience was incredible.
When Rodrigo came onstage, I don’t think I registered that it was her for a moment. The entire show was fantastic. Her band was incredible, and the dancers were an amazing touch. I got really emotional during the performance of “teenage dream.” I turned 20 this year, and it has been really hard adjusting to my newfound adulthood. This song came out a mere eight days before my birthday, so it is incredibly special to me. I was honestly a little bit surprised that this was the song that moved me to tears, but I am so glad to have that experience with me always.
The show was surprisingly interactive, given the dramatic choreography and the level of fame that Rodrigo has reached. She even sang to me during “brutal”–cementing it as one of my all-time favorites in her catalog of songs. The Columbus show also happened to fall on the day of the deluxe version of GUTS being released–“GUTS (spilled).” During camping, everyone was huddled in their tents trying to stay warm by the time the album dropped, but you could hear as each of us listened to it and watched the “obsessed” music video for the first time. It was actually a really sweet moment. Rodrigo has managed to build such a loving community of supporters. Seeing people all join together to celebrate music and an artist they’re really passionate about–even from the confines of their own tents–is incredible.
There are four costume changes throughout the show. I am partial to the silver sequined shorts and the ever-changing graphic tank top she pairs with them. Every show is a new shirt that she wears during the last few songs and the encore–naturally, her shirt said “DELUXE” in honor of “GUTS (spilled).”
During the final stretch of the show, Rodrigo walks the barricade to greet her fans during the performance of “get him back!” This marks the end of the concert each night, and it also happens to be the exact moment when I foolishly attempted to get a selfie with Olivia Rodrigo. Instead, all I got was an awkward video of me trying desperately to get my phone to her. Oh, and I touched her arm. But at least I have that! Rodrigo also threw the “obsessed” music video sash to my little sister directly. It was, in all aspects, an insane night.
Now that it’s over, I cannot help but want to go again. But realistically speaking, I know that the “GUTS” tTour was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will always cherish. All in all, the show was lively, energetic, interactive and incredibly entertaining. Olivia Rodrigo gave a raw and compelling performance that was worth every cent. I’m probably not going to be attending another “GUTS” show anytime soon, so here’s hoping that the next album comes quickly. The world could use another Olivia Rodrigo ballad, and we’ll all be better for it.
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