I Drove Home 2 Olivia Rodrigo’s First Night At Radio City Music Hall, Here’s How It Went

Posted On April 27, 2022

Samantha Colleran, April 2022

Olivia Rodrigo has quickly become one of my favorite new artists. Capturing broken hearted teenagers (and adults) around the world with “drivers license”, Olivia rose to fame rather quickly, and the release of her debut album SOUR established her place as a pop powerhouse. Of course when Olivia announced a tour to support SOUR’s release, my friends and I hopped onto Ticketmaster for a brutal fight for tickets and somehow ended up victorious, with fantastic seats I might add. We made the four hour drive to the city for a day, and it was a beautiful whirlwind of events. So, without further ado, welcome 2 the beauty of SOUR TOUR!

As always, I have to dedicate a section of this post to our absolutely amazing opening act, Holly Humberstone. This show was her first as a supporting act for Olivia on tour, and to say she exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. I knew a few songs of hers going into the show, but I can now say I’m a fan. Holly’s one woman set featured tracks from her EPs The Walls Are Way Too Thin and Falling Asleep At The Wheel, as well as her most recent single “London Is Lonely” and a new single called “Sleep Tight” which is set to release this Friday. If you need a starting point to get into Holly, I highly suggest “Overkill”, “The Walls Are Way Too Thin”, and my personal favorite “Scarlett”. 

The star of the show, Miss Olivia Rodrigo. Despite being so young with limited experience performing live, Olivia’s stage presence and ability to control her vocals is beyond impressive. With only one album out, Olivia’s set was short, but full of so much energy and emotion. Starting off on an incredibly strong note with fan favorite “brutal” which led into a punkier version of “jealousy, jealousy” (if you watched her Disney+ documentary, you’ll know exactly what it sounds like!), Olivia confidently strutted around the stage and sang her heart out with the crowd. Things slowed down as Olivia introduced “drivers license”, a track that has improved exponentially since its release. The bridge was one of the most powerful parts of the show and it reminded me of why this song rose to fame so quickly in the first place.

Olivia often reworks her songs and breathes new life into them, and tour is the perfect place to do that. The final track off of SOUR, “hope ur ok”, was an intimate moment between Olivia and the crowd. Olivia started the song with an acoustic guitar, the band joining in during the second verse, and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the crowd as we all looked at her and sang the line “I hope you know how proud I am you were created”. A mashup of “enough for you” and “1 step forward, 3 steps back” was a solo acoustic performance; it was a breathtaking moment which allowed Olivia to truly showcase her lower vocal register. “happier” was another strong vocal moment as Olivia effortlessly belted out a high note right before the instrumental break. 

Since SOUR only has eleven tracks, it was obvious to fans that Olivia would perform some covers. Opting to follow the alternative and punk vibe, Olivia stepped into Avril Lavigne’s shoes and sang a very beautiful version of “Complicated”. She also took on Veruca Salt’s “Seether”, which was an absolutely stellar moment for Olivia to further showcase her 90s influences. Going back to her High School Musical: The Musical The Series roots, Olivia sang her 2020 hit “All I Want”, a fan favorite that received a lot of love. 

In between her countless thank you’s and speeches expressing her excitement, Olivia introduced her band to the crowd, which consists of all women. I found this incredibly badass on Olivia’s part; not only is she a young woman in music, she’s giving a platform to women musicians (who all rocked, by the way), which is so important for young girls to see. With a last minute prom theme put into place, Olivia chose two very lucky fans to be crowned prom queens and brought them up on stage to present them with sashes and crowns, which was a super sweet moment!

My favorite song of the night was closer to the end of the set. “favorite crime” made its way to my number one song off of SOUR after a few listens, and seeing it live was a moment I don’t think I can describe properly. It was so beyond special, and screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs is something I won’t ever forget. “traitor” was another emotional song on the setlist that the audience had a strong reaction to, and based on the look in Olivia’s eyes while performing it you can tell she felt as though she truly made it.

The show closed out with “deja vu” and “good 4 u”, the final two singles off of SOUR. “deja vu” sounded even more amazing live, and the energy Olivia put into it was absolutely amazing. “good 4 u” closed the show on an upbeat note, and the crowd went absolutely wild for the final few minutes Olivia was on stage. You can tell that Olivia has fun with this song; dancing around the stage, encouraging fans to follow her chant of “Maybe I’m too emotional/ But your apathy is like a wound in salt”, the smile never leaving her face. It was the best way to end a perfect night. 

If you have the chance to see Olivia on tour, DO IT! She has such a wonderful stage presence and you can tell how much fun she’s having singing the songs that so many people gravitated toward. It felt like a night of therapy; singing and dancing along to the songs that have played a vital role in the last year of my life with some of my favorite people right before the final stretch of classes, it was much needed. Olivia, thank you for making a random Tuesday in late April one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. I’m so grateful to have witnessed such a wonderful show, and I can’t wait to see Olivia again!