Olivia Rodrigo
3Arena, Dublin
★★★★★
Kicking off the European leg of her Guts tour at Dublin’s 3Arena on Tuesday night, Olivia Rodrigo left no doubt that she’s a bona fide pop superstar.
Hordes of teenage girls in glittering miniskirts shriek in excitement as the 21-year-old appears on stage in her own silver number, paired with matching crop top, sparkling eyeshadow and black Doc Martens.
Launching straight into Bad Idea Right?, the punchy, guitar-heavy second single from her sophomore effort Guts, it’s clear that Rodrigo is not just a teen icon; she’s a global phenomenon.
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As with many Gen-Zers, the former Disney star is influenced by the music and fashion of the late 1990s and early 2000s – including the pop-rock stylings of the likes of No Doubt, Hole and Alanis Morissette.
But it’s not just her image that connects with the nostalgic new generation; it’s also the sheer force of her songwriting which dissects growing pains and young adulthood with disarming honesty and wry wit.
Debut single Drivers License, released in early 2021, effectively distils the torture of first heartbreak and met the zeitgeist one year into an isolating global pandemic.
Tonight it’s as poignant as ever, as Rodrigo delivers it from behind a piano early on in the set.
She sings its heart-wrenching bridge with feeling, and so too do the young audience as they hold their phones like lighters.
Teenage girls punch their fists in the air during Guts’ bombastic lead single Vampire, the story of a bloodsucking ex, while Traitor from debut Sour has a similarly mesmerising effect.
“I want you to jump, I want you to scream, I want you to sing at the top of your lungs. Can you do that for me?!” Rodrigo asks. The answer from the crowd is a resounding yes.
The chart topper’s stage presence has by all accounts evolved since her debut Irish gig at Dublin’s Fairview Park in the summer of 2022.
Tonight she is a heady mix of raw vulnerability and self-confidence with not a single bum note on display, as she reiterates just how many bangers she already has in her arsenal.
During Guts album track Logical and Sour favourite Enough For You, she glides slowly around the arena on a suspended crescent moon, receiving piercing screams every time she drifts tantalisingly closer to fans.
But this show isn’t an overly choreographed affair in contrast to many other pop spectaculars.
Instead, it leaves room for the ballads to breathe during a midway acoustic section, and for Rodrigo to rock out, stomp and bound across the stage with abandon during the up-tempo numbers with backing from her all-woman band.
Although there are multiple bells and whistles including an impressive V-shaped walkway, dancers and an explosion of star-shaped confetti during closer Get Him Back!, the truth is that in reality Rodrigo doesn’t need any of it.
The songs, as well as her undeniable star quality, are more than enough. Watch out, Taylor Swift. She’s coming for your spot.
