Olivia Rodrigo
Toyota Center
February 27, 2024

Last night was an auspicious one for our city: It marked the official opening of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, and it was also the first Texas date for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts Tour, supporting her sophomore album. Apparently those of us at Toyota Center missed a Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani team-up. Yawn.

Rodrigo is hardly the first 21-year old to headline an arena tour, but her rise to venues like Toyota Center has been nigh meteoric. It's been less than two years since she played 713 Music Hall, and even with only one album (Sour) under her belt at the time, the place was barely big enough to contain the throngs.

Along comes Guts, and no sign of fading popularity. Rodrigo performed every song of the new release, including the opening trifecta of "bad idea right?," "ballad of a homeschooled girl," and that album's (so far) biggest hit, "vampire." Rodrigo, by turns, stalked, sprinted, and stomped across the stage, going from rage to melancholy effortlessly and leaving a rapturous audience of (mostly) young women in her wake.

"Welcome to the Guts tour," Rodrigo greeted the packed-to-the-rafters crowd. They, in turn, answered with exultant screams for the first of what would be many times through the course of the night.

Backed once again by longtime bandmates including Moa Munoz (bass) and Hayley Brownell (drums), and supported on the U-shaped stage by an octet of dancers, Rodrigo cuts a figure both gawky and formidable. She could stomp to and fro in her Doc Martens for the likes of "pretty isn't pretty," or snarl impressively during "deja vu," but also showcase her vulnerability ("logical" and "enough for you," performed while sitting on a crescent moon suspended over the crowd).

But fear not, Sour Patch Kids, for there were a beefy nine cuts from Rodrigo's debut effort, with "deja vu" and "drivers license" eliciting the biggest reactions.
And everyone ate it up. Last night was one of the few times I regretted not wearing ear plugs (also the first time I've ever felt the Toyota Center shake), and I covered my ears when she asked the Toyota Center audience to "scream their heart out" during "all-american bitch." And scream they did. The enthusiasm is impressive to hear, but when the vocals are only intermittently audible because the crowd is singing along to every song...

There's an "If it's too loud, you're too old" joke to be made here, but I need to change my Depends.

For all the volume, it wasn't that elaborate of a stage setup. The purple motif was briefly set off by red or blue lighting during certain songs, and the set was loosely divided into three acts and an encore. The better to facilitate costume changes and — presumably — to offer her and the band a breather.

Comparisons between Rodrigo and certain other iconic female artists are probably inevitable at this point. Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo have both built their careers on songs about love that's already gone wrong or is about to (which, again, makes them no difference than the majority of successful dude musicians). Where the two differ (one of the ways, anyway) is in approach. Rodrigo's songs lack the oblique anger of Swift's, and are really more of a kick in the balls than a snide aside.

The show's final sequence found Rodrigo in a red ...playsuit? (I don't know from fashion), undulating to the closing numbers "obsessed" and "all-american bitch" before the obligatory encore of "good 4 u" and "get him back!," after which Rodrigo jumped into the crowd as those of us in the cheap(er) seats finally filed out.

Where does Rodrigo go after this? The Guts Tour is a mere three shows old, but includes multiple nights at Madison Square Garden and the Forum in L.A. Is it really that far-fetched to think the next tour will hit NRG Stadium? If so, they'll need to schedule it outside of February and March, because she'll definitely be too big for the Rodeo by then.
Personal Bias: I'm no "Livie," but I'm kind of bummed that she's been priced out of so many people's range so soon. Destiny's Child played church picnics, and Taylor Swift played something called "Jinglefest" in 2007, for crying out loud. Rodrigo's pretty much been in big houses from the jump.

The Crowd: I imagine there are a lot of high schoolers with sore throats this morning, mine included.

Overheard In The Crowd From My Daughter: "Look Dad, another middle-aged guy! You're not alone!"

Random Notebook Dump: "She thinks dads are great. Vindication."

SET LIST
bad idea right?
ballad of a homeschooled girl
vampire
traitor
drivers license
teenage dream
pretty isn't pretty
love is embarrassing
making the bed
logical
enough for you
lacy
jealousy, jealousy
happier
favorite crime
deja vu
the grudge
brutal
obsessed
all-american bitch

ENCORE
good 4 u
get him back!