At the doors of the Palau Sant Jordi a crowd of girls in sequined mini shorts and violet feather boas scream and hug each other excitedly. “I’ve followed her since she was an actress at Disney,” one of them tells another who is smearing herself in glitter. She answers him: “When the Drivers License video came out, she touched me, she was very in her mood.” They talk about Olivia Rodrigo, the bad girl of pop who this Tuesday seeks to conquer her Spanish audience with her Guts world tour.
The excitement and nerves of the crowd intensify as they enter the venue. A scream from two teenagers running around to find her place in the stands leaves this reporter deaf for a few seconds. It is understandable, this quote is for them the maximum expression of the hackneyed adolescent creed “now or never.” Because the truth is that it is unlikely – his next appointment is on Thursday in Madrid – that Rodrigo will return to Spain soon.
Remi Wolf’s R&B comes as a dose of calm to alleviate the nerves of those present, but the calm ends when the American leaves the stage. Some candles in which she reads Guts begin to melt on the screen. They melt one by one and when that happens the great stadium screams loudly. There is only one left standing for her great diva to arrive. Finally, a play of lights predicts the imminent arrival of the pop star. Now images of Rodrigo walking through what appears to be the backstage corridors appear on the screen. The screams intensify when a hand with a set of rings reading ‘Guts’ appears in the broadcast, knocking on the door asking for entry. The public grants it to him with a standing ovation. She is his expected diva.
Olivia Rodrigo performs in front of a dedicated Palau Sant Jordi
EFE
With a band housed at the back of the stage, without dancers or any props, the 1.65 meter young singer looks like an ant in front of a packed Sant Jordi. With the first verses of Bad idea right? That ant becomes a lioness that roars loudly and fills the space with its vocal power. Her screams, accompanied by jumps and an explosion of spasms, cause a roar in unison from the audience, who imitate her gestures to join the psychedelic performance. Will the Palau Sant Jordi fall at our feet?
The fusion of musical influences such as eighties punk and garage rock in this song produced by Daniel Nigro, brings Rodrigo closer to names like Lorde or Phoebe Bridgers. This is evidenced on stage by a sudden guitar solo, pure rock, and the artist swaying like a millennial version of Blondie.
“How are you Barcelona?” she asks. The roar that comes from the stands and the track is such that even the artist seems to be surprised. She is without a doubt one of the biggest names in the genre at the moment and she is only 21 years old. Although she has a long way to go to reach that peak where Swift reigns, her comparison is not in vain. She is also the songwriter of a generation tormented by trivial relationships and superficiality. “Hate to give the satisfaction, asking how you’re doing now How’s the castle built off people you intend to care about?”, sings the Californian accompanied by an exultant audience who feel the verses of vampire.
Traitor, their great anthem, arrives like a tsunami of anger. A group of dancers join the star who sings with feeling about his breakups and heartbreaks, his insecurities and challenges. The guitars have a leading role in their album and therefore in this concert. When his solos arrive the crowd falls silent and listens, partly also to take a breath.
The revolutions drop with Driver license and Teenage dreams, both with Rodrigo on the piano. The dark queen of pop is ultimately a multifaceted artist, who sings and composes as much as she dances and plays the piano. “Barcelona you are singing a lot, what’s wrong, has someone broken your heart? I wrote this song on my 19th birthday. Now I’m 21 and if I could give my past self some advice it would be to not worry so much, there are wonderful things around the corner,” says the sweet Olivia Rodrigo before delighting her audience with Teenage dreams. With images of her as a child on the screen and the powerful voice of a Rodrigo who has already grown, her nostalgia takes over the place.
Change of mood, as his fans would say, and clothing. A mini short and a leather and shiny bra mark a new stage of the night. We are here to discover all the details of their live album Guts. Rodrigo has fun singing Pretty isn’t pretty -a song to self-acceptance- Love is embarrassing and Making the bed.
The artist wants to connect with the public, get as close to them as she can. Climbing on a metal moon, Rodrigo flies over the track and enthusiastically greets his fans to the sound of Logical. Suspended in the air, this shooting star demands a powerful scream from its audience and this chronicler’s eardrums burst for the second time tonight.
The youth audience is demanding. He wants to talk to the star, appear on the big screen, dance and see tender moments. She, who belongs to that same generation, gives Barcelona everything it asks for. The acoustics Happier and Favorite crime They excite the listeners, who are even more overflowing with emotion when the singer puts on a t-shirt that they have thrown at her that reads Barcelona.
New mood unlocked. With a short metallic red jumpsuit Rodrigo brings out the demon inside him. Brutal envelops the audience in a dark and punk atmosphere. The charming smiles and Disney moments experienced during the concert fade to reveal the grunge version of the artist, who delights the audience with sensual swaggers and playful grimaces. With a guitar solo in Obsessed The artist is crowned before an audience that, like her, wants to demonstrate that she is no longer a girl.
The audience is not ready to let her go so, again and with the strength they have left, they shout the young star’s name in unison: “Olivia, Olivia, Olivia.” With a short top and tiny sequined shorts, the artist gives them Good for youthe first of his anthems and with which he managed to go from Disney star to pop star.
