Olivia Rodrigo Soars at Armory

This Disney-star-turned-pop-princess proves she lives up to the hype

As One Direction’s “Olivia” fades out over the Armory’s speakers, the crowd quiets and all eyes turn to the stage. Fans wait, holding their breath, as “Sour Tour” is projected in bold white lettering against a purple background onto the curtain hiding the stage from the crowd’s view. The iconic guitar riff from “brutal” plays once as lights flash and fans scream, then cuts back into silence. This happens twice more, with expressions of disappointment from fans growing louder each time. Finally, the curtains fly open as the beginning notes of “brutal” play one last time, revealing Olivia Rodrigo herself.

The most tense part of the concert: waiting for Rodrigo to appear on stage.

After her leading role on Disney Channel’s “Bizaardvark” and an even more famous role in the Disney+ original series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (“HSMTMTS”), Rodrigo began releasing her own music in January 2021, beginning with the hit single “drivers license.” The music video quickly gained millions of views on YouTube, propelled by Rodrigo’s fame as an actress and the alleged break-up drama between her and “HSMTMTS” co-star Joshua Bassett.

After a few weeks of the “drivers license” music video repeatedly appearing in my YouTube recommended when it first came out, I finally caved and gave it a listen. At first, I was underwhelmed. Thinking the views were propelled by the petty (and quite possibly fictitious) drama, I thought I would move on with my life and pass this musical phenomenon by. Boy was I wrong. I quickly changed my tune, and in December my Spotify Wrapped told me that “drivers license” was my most-listened-to song of 2021.

Once Rodrigo further proved her lyrical genius with the dreamy yet bitter “deja vu” and the raw anger of “good 4 u,” I became an established fan. Her album “Sour” as a whole was an astonishing debut, and when Rodrigo announced in December that she was going on tour and that she was coming to Minneapolis, I knew I had to snag a ticket.

Although there were definitely stressful elements of attending a concert of this scope and scale, I have to say: It was worth it. Even though the parking garage was expensive and overwhelming, even though I waited in line outside the Armory while it was snowing for an hour and a half without a coat, even though I watched the entire concert from what was essentially a mosh pit of strangers packed a bit too tightly together — I had the time of my life. (Pro tip on cutting parking costs: Try to carpool with friends if you can; the event parking price in the parking garage across the street is a bit steep at $25 if you go alone.)

The opening act, Gracie Abrams, was simply stunning. Abrams performed several songs from her most recent EP, “This Is What It Feels Like,” as well as a few tracks from her first EP, “minor.” Her voice is just as beautiful in person as it is in recordings, soft yet powerful and packed full of emotion. In her live performance, Abrams’s interactions with fans were sweet and personal. She waved at fans as they sang back to her and laughed as she caught bouquets (and one SpongeBob plushie) they tossed onstage. As a performer, Abrams came off as wholly individual and human, like a friend you could grab coffee with. If you don’t already listen to her music, consider this your sign. Although her songs have a slightly different sound than Rodrigo’s, her lyrics and the emotion behind them are equally heartrending.

Rodrigo was a bit more impersonal, which is perhaps due to her inexperience as a performer or the tightly packaged branding surrounding her public image. However, I did not find that this significantly detracted from my experience. Her songs were still as emotional as ever, maybe even more so. Being surrounded by others who are singing the same lyrics as you, everyone enraptured by a favorite artist, is a special feeling.

If I had one main complaint, it would be that I could not hear Rodrigo at times over thousands of screaming fans. Perhaps this is a testament to the electric atmosphere among the crowd, but it is also indicative that the volume of the sound system needed to be adjusted if possible to compensate for the noise level in the venue. Listening back to my recordings of the concert, Rodrigo is barely audible, which is notably not a problem I had with Abrams’s performances, nor did I have this issue when I saw Conan Gray perform at the same venue two weeks before.

I also struggled to see the stage. Since I bought a standing room only ticket, I watched the entire concert in a giant pit of singing fans. For me, though, concerts are more about the experience of listening to the music rather than watching the singer for the entirety of the performance. I am also tall enough that I was able to see Rodrigo at certain points, so overall having my view blocked was not too much of a disappointment. However, if seeing the performer is a must for you, consider spending extra money on balcony seats if you attend a concert at the Armory.

Rodrigo performing one of my personal favorite heartbreak ballads, “happier.”

But these are minor downsides of an overall fantastic concert. Rodrigo is a stage presence to be reckoned with, and her live performances prove that she truly is a talented singer. In particular, I appreciated Rodrigo’s performances of “jealousy, jealousy” and “deja vu.” Rodrigo chose to sing a rock version of “jealousy, jealousy” similar to the one featured in her Disney+ documentary that adds a lot more rage to the already angsty track. Her performance of this song was particularly energetic, as Rodrigo danced around onstage in time with the rock beats. Her live cover of “deja vu” sounded similar to her NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance of the song, a version I particularly enjoy for its use of unique high-pitched guitar in the instrumental interludes. It feels much more personal than the original recording. Rodrigo ending on “good 4 u” as purple confetti fell from the ceiling was the perfect finale to an incredible concert.

I would absolutely recommend any of Rodrigo’s and Abrams’s future concerts. Both are relative newcomers as performers, and I look forward to their growth as songwriters and musicians. They have all the talent of rising stars with promising futures.