Olivia Rodrigo spills her 'GUTS' in St. Paul

Olivia Rodrigo performed at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, March 15.Laura Buhman for MPR

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March 18, 2024

A sea of purple and shimmering outfits packed the Xcel Energy Center for Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out performance Friday night. On tour supporting her sophomore album, GUTS, the award-winning artist returned to play bubble grunge, power pop, and heart-crushing ballads.

Rodrigo’s opener was Missouri singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. Roan shares unabashedly queer and playful sex-positivity on her synth-pop debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. On a stage drenched in pink and purple, she glittered in a Western-themed bodysuit, knee-high cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. As she minced across the stage, flipping her heavy crown of long red curls, the crowd thrived on her energy. Many sang along with the choruses to “Naked in Manhattan” and “Red Wine Supernova.” They bopped and bounced along to the dancier “Femininomenon” while Roan high-kicked onstage. Her set crescendoed with “My Kink is Karma,” a playfully petty song about watching an ex fall apart after a breakup, and the crowd was already giddy by the time she wrapped up her set.

woman performing with band on stage-06 — Chappell Roan opened up for Olivia Rodrigo at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, March 15.
Laura Buhman for MPR

While the audience waited for Rodrigo to appear, a screen behind the stage showed giant purple candles spelling out “GUTS.” They slowly melted down and acted as a countdown before her set began with the hit “bad idea right?” It was a taste of many engaging visuals to come once she arrived backed by a live all-femme band. Together, Rodrigo and her band created a rock-leaning heaviness that heightened how each powerful pop song landed.

Rodrigo’s Disney pedigree was evident throughout the night, as she displayed beaming smiles, high energy, and the infectious joy she has for performing music all of her own. It’s difficult to imagine someone so bubbly could produce such achingly bittersweet songs or even venomous revenge tracks. Still, this also shows her ability to handle her fame, productively process her feelings, and encourage fans to feel her catharsis.

Later, the screens played videos of Rodrigo as a small child during ballad-y “teenage dream.” For the heart-wrenching “making the bed,” she laid on a platform and rose above the stage. A clear highlight was Rodrigo drifting above the crowd on a huge, glowing crescent moon among a sea of stars during “logical” and “enough for you.”

For the tearful sing-along “drivers license,” Rodrigo played piano in a dreamy cloud of smoke, This included your humble reviewer and an adorable nine-year-old nearby. The energy was crushing and brought many welcome waves of emotions.

woman performing on stage with screen behind her — Olivia Rodrigo performed at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, March 15.
Laura Buhman for MPR

There were countless times when the crowd’s enthusiasm drowned out the young singer. As soon as the first few notes of viral TikTok hit “vampire” rang out, frenzied screams erupted. During her encore, she performed her hit “good 4 u” in a Minnesota-friendly “You Betcha” tank top and thrived off the energy in the room, windmilling her arms while dancers did backbends on their knees.

Although Hollywood has a habit of putting child celebrities under a microscope, Rodrigo appears to have a solid head on her shoulders and wants to do good with her platform.She is owning her voice, emotions, and body. The night she kicked off her The Guts World Tour, she announced on TikTok the launch of her Fund 4 Good, to advocate for equity, education, safety, and justice for “all women, girls, and people seeking reproductive health freedom.” (The tour’s North American leg partnered with the National Network of Abortion Funds to help those facing reproductive healthcare barriers and/or systemic racism.) As Rodrigo’s fans explore themselves, their bodies, and their sexualities, she is helping to remove shame and stigma.

Rodrigo and Roan exemplify a new generation of young, empowered femmes. Neither are afraid to expose their most vulnerable feelings, even if they are at times unflattering. There’s authenticity and relatable human experience in their near-universal music to breathlessly dance, sing, cry, or rage along to.

Olivia Rodrigo