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Review & setlist: Boston is ‘so obsessed’ with Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo came to Boston Monday night for the first of two sold-out shows at TD Garden.
Olivia Rodrigo is in Boston, and she’s here to be your iconic best friend.
The “Guts World Tour” arrived Monday night for the first of Rodrigo’s two-night stint at TD Garden, where she performed to a sold-out crowd of nearly 20,000 adoring fans.
But first, guest performer Chappell Roan opened the show and proved to be a pop star rising in her own right. The singer, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, played a 40-minute set, kicking off the evening with her upbeat hit, “Femininomenon.”
The drag-inspired artist performed with her three-piece band, commanding the stage with high kicks and countless twirls in blue sequins. The artist recently performed an unforgettable set for NPR’s Tiny Desk. “HOT TO GO!” warmed the crowd up for feeling pure joy. Later in the show, Rodrigo gave a shout out to Roan, saying, “Chappell Roan was my No. 1 artist on Spotify Wrapped last year.” Boston will be her last stop with the Guts World Tour, but she will be returning May 26 to play Boston Calling.
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When Rodrigo took the stage, she gave instructions to a mostly female crowd of pre-teens, teens, and (ahem) cool moms for how to best enjoy the evening. It went like this: “I want you to jump around. I want you to scream. I want you to feel all your f—ing feelings.”
Say less, Olivia. Boston can do that.
Through most of her 23-song set, Rodrigo spent nearly two hours leading a sing-along slash scream-along for her fans, who call themselves Livies. It was loud, of course. But it was also incredibly endearing. This is Rodrigo’s sweet appeal. The 21-year-old performed songs from her two studio albums which tap into the range of angsty teen emotions, adding a swing of positivity that has helped fuel her meteoric rise from Disney girl to certified Gen Z pop icon.
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While starring in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” in 2019, Rodrigo wrote the ballad “All I Want” and performed as her lead character, Nini. The Disney single about wanting a “love that lasts” became a hit on TikTok. Before finishing filming her third and final season for the show, she partnered with producer Dan Nigro and completed her first studio album, “Sour,” in 2021.
Songs performed from her first album like “drivers license” were a Boston.com reader and crowd favorite. One reader shared with Boston.com that it’s “my guilty pleasure that I listen to when I just feel like being sad.” After performing the power ballad on piano, Rodrigo paused to say, “Boston, you’ve got gorgeous singing voices.”
Rodrigo kept the show’s intimate appeal going when she sat cross-legged on the edge of the stage with her guitarist for “happier.” She shared how the line, “I hope you’re happy but don’t be happier,” came to her during filming of “HSM:TM:TS” and forced the crew to break from filming to quickly get the lyric recorded.
For “enough for you,” her favorite song on the album, Rodrigo mounted a crescent moon prop, her iconic Dr. Martens hung over the edge, while she traveled in a loop around the stadium.
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Any artist’s second album is a notoriously difficult feat to pull off, and yet Rodrigo did just that in 2023 with “Guts.” The album is edgier, more punk rock but still maintaining mass appeal. She opened Monday night’s show with “bad idea right?” and closed with “all-american bitch,” where she asked the crowd to “think about something that really pisses you off.” Then commanded her Livies to scream. Let’s have a contest, she said. Everyone won.
Rodrigo’s outfits changed a few times, though her chunky boots and glitter remained. Her interaction with the crowd, walking the floor, reading off homemade signs, asking who came with their Mom and Dad, solidified her status as your cool best friend who wants to help you grow up. While her team is no longer handing out free contraceptives outside shows, she’s been featuring local women’s health organizations on her social media. When Rodrigo and the cameras were taking time to interact with fans, she took an extra beat to call out a concertgoer wearing a T-shirt for the Rhode Island Women’s Health and Education Fund.
Rodrigo left the choreography for her dancers, except for a fun bit during her “love is embarrassing” performance where the singer-songwriter danced in an an adorably awkward way that felt like you might want to try out later in front of your bedroom mirror. She did not hold back on head thrashing or playing air guitar though, both of which were top notch. She also took a selfie with concertgoers, reminding us she’s still kind of reachable, and waved like she actually recognized you. Gentle reminder: She did not.
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“Obsessed” was the best performance of the evening. She rocked out on an electric guitar as if she were channeling Jack White, the crowd singing every word, and ended by tossing a drumstick into the crowd. The only lull in the show came with “the grudge.” Despite being a beautiful song to listen to in quieter space, it felt like a jump to perform directly after emo-punk hit “brutal.”
Rodrigo dropped some wisdom for the younger Livies ahead of performing “teenage dream,” a song she released three years ago, which makes you want to protect Rodrigo, both as an artist and as an icon for young girls, at all costs. “If I could give any advice to my 18-year-old self, it would be that growing up is f—ing awesome,” she said. “You have no idea how much excitement and joy lies ahead of you.”
After the two encore songs and the confetti had dropped, it felt like you’d just spent the evening at a friend’s house rocking out with Rodrigo and some other (er, several thousand) friends. And yet even after spilling her guts in sequins and glitter, it’s Rodrigo who asked: “Would you guys like to sing another one with me?” Yes, girl. Let’s do this again.
Rodrigo will perform Tuesday night at TD Garden to another sold-out crowd. Her next stop on the Guts World Tour will be four nights at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chappel Roan’s setlist:
Femininomenon
Naked in Manhattan
After Midnight
Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl
HOT TO GO!
Casual
Red Wine Supernova
My Kink Is Karma
Pink Pony Club
Olivia Rodrigo’s setlist:
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
Can’t Catch Me Now
happier
favorite crime
deja vu
the grudge
brutal
obsessed
all-american bitch
Encore:
good 4 u
get him back!
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