Concert review: Pop star Olivia Rodrigo throws a purple-hued party of guts and sparkles

Olivia Rodrigo – Guts World Tour in Singapore

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Oct 1

American pop star Olivia Rodrigo spilt guts, sparkles and a whole lot of purple at her first concert in Singapore.

Though the 21-year-old has been touring virtually non-stop since February 2024, when she kicked off the Guts World Tour in California, the United States, she was full of energy and spirit from the moment she stepped onto the two-pointed stage, just after 8pm.  

But the sold-out crowd of 10,000 – mostly girls and women in their pre-teens, teens and 20s, almost all of whom were decked out in the same pastel purple shade – was more than ready for Rodrigo.

Many had been waiting outside the venue for at least two hours before showtime, joining the snaking queues for either the merchandise booth or standing pens. 

They greeted her with thunderous cheers and screams, and spiritedly sang along to the boisterous opening track Bad Idea, Right?, from her sophomore album Guts (2023), about the questionable wisdom of hooking up with a former boyfriend.  

Rodrigo initially sounded a bit shaky and breathless, but her vocals evened out by the third track, Vampire, also off Guts. The ballad’s cutting lyrics and the support of her all-female backing band – who flanked her onstage all night – seemed to centre the former Disney Channel child star and fuel a heartfelt rendition of lines such as “I’ve made some real big mistakes, but you make the worst one look fine”.

She urged the audience to stand up and “jump, scream, sing at the top of your lungs”, a mission which the fans took seriously for the two-hour concert.

Their excitement and enthusiasm hardly wavered all night, singing along loud and clear not just during the big hits such as Drivers License, off her debut album Sour (2021), but also during deep-cut tracks such as Pretty Isn’t Pretty from Guts.

This is only Rodrigo’s second concert tour, and her first in arena-size venues. But the stage production, lighting design and sound engineering were as robust as what you might expect from seasoned veterans like British rock band Coldplay. 

In addition to the two-pointed stage – reminiscent of the bottom prongs of a five-pointed star, one of Rodrigo’s favourite pieces of iconography – there was also a crescent moon stage at the back of the venue that floated up above the standing crowd. 

Halfway through the show, Rodrigo perched on the crescent moon – which was surrounded by half a dozen or so stars – from which she sang two songs, while cheerfully waving to the fans seated in the back sections. 

She was not afraid to pick up an instrument here and there, taking to the piano for the ballads Drivers License and Teenage Dream. There was a sense of emotional release for both her and the audience in the bridge of Teenage Dream, which sounded almost like a chant or mantra, with music swelling in the background adding to the theatrics of it all: “They all say that it gets better, it gets better, but what if I don’t?” 

Rodrigo was most commanding and magnetic in quieter moments – such as a silent, haunted look at the close of Pretty Isn’t Pretty, and the last lines of The Grudge, which many have speculated is about a rumoured fallout between her and American pop queen Taylor Swift.

A collective chill seemed to ripple through parts of the room as Rodrigo sang: “It takes strength to forgive, but I’m not quite sure I’m there yet.”

Whether it was fuelled by real emotion, or just top-notch emoting by a seasoned actress, one felt inclined to believe her either way.

There is a great deal of inner conflict in Rodrigo’s music that is easy for listeners to relate to – she does not write only about heartbreak and romance, though there is certainly much of that.

But even those songs about ill-fated romances are more about the pain of growing up and realising that the human condition is a heavy thing to wrestle with. And many in the crowd seemed equally content to join her in those quieter moments or to find catharsis by screaming along.

Nevertheless, during breaks and more upbeat songs, Rodrigo seemed to sparkle as much as her get-ups, taking time to compliment fans on their “cutie outfits” and handmade signs.

She also thanked the people of Singapore for the warm welcome, adding: “I went to the beach yesterday and have been eating so many dumplings.” 

By the time she reached her rousing encore finale of Good 4 U and Get Him Back!, she was as energetic as when she first appeared onstage. And the fans were not ready for her to go, dancing and singing their way through the final tracks with ear-shattering volume. 

Rodrigo has a second concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct 2, before she heads off to the Philippines and Australia to wrap up the 2024 leg of the Guts World Tour.

Which is lucky for us here, because based on the rousing reception to the first night of her gig, one thing is clear: Singapore is “so obsessed” with Olivia Rodrigo.