There is just something about Olivia Rodrigo. She may only be 21 years old and have two albums to her name but she has a magnetism and an aura that go well beyond her years. In fact, with her suite of hits and flurry of fans, the former Disney Channel star arrived in Sydney for the very first time, surrounded by a level of hype that has arguably only been matched by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour this year. But this show felt different, with a visceral level of excitement and energy that very few performers can rival. With seas of purple through the audience, the Rodrigo touch was in effect. 

As fans arrived to the well and truly sold-out Qudos Bank Arena, the level of anticipation was extremely high. Fans were first treated to an opening performance by New Zealander Benee, who brought an infectious brand of uplifting pop to the stage in her short and sharp opening set. It was an energetic performance, which set the tone for what was to come as the night progressed. 

When Rodrigo hit the stage, the crowd, many of whom had lined up for hours to get the prime viewing position, went absolutely wild. In the indoor Qudos Bank Arena, where sound is amplified by the acoustics, it truly felt as though the roof was about to lift off the venue. 

Rodrigo’s voice is still youthful and her brand is geared a little younger than some of her contemporaries in the upper echelons of the pop music stratosphere yet there is something uniquely captivating about her presence on stage. From the moment she started, she held the crowd in the palm of her hand, bringing them into her world of songs, stories and a healthy spattering of the Guts purple spread around the arena. 

Her set began with the infectiously raucous “bad idea right?” and “ballad of a homeschooled girl”, complete with fierce and clever choreography. However, in these numbers that were more reliant on the high value of the spectacle than the vocals, it did beg the question as to whether the vocals would match the entertainment for the rest of the show. 

Rodrigo answered these questions in a resounding fashion, when she quickly moved into some of her biggest and most gut-wrenching ballads. For all the hype around the tour and the performance, when Rodrigo sung the opening lines to “vampire”, a notoriously difficult song to sing, one could hear a pin drop within the audience. Rodrigo’s voice was full-bodied and powerful, hitting all the notes in the song with ease. Her follow-ups of “traitor” and “drivers license” equally showed off the incredible range and register of her voice. By contrasting both facets of her craft so directly, Rodrigo gave the biggest nod to the extent of her artistic maturity and skill.

While her voice was sublime and her performance craft excellent, Rodrigo has something else special that goes beyond the mere technical. She combines the undoubted bubbliness of a teen idol with a magnetism that only the greatest performers possess. As she moved through a set which traversed a range of ballads and upbeat numbers with Madonna-esque precision, one could only think that the artistic possibilities will be endless as Rodrigo’s star continues to rise over the next decade. 

In many ways, Rodrigo’s show had all the conventions of a typical arena show but she and her team had carefully planned everything in the set for maximum impact. The costumes were dazzling, and the choreography was considered while every part of Rodrigo’s set focussed on a different part of her artistry, with an acoustic set, a main set and some satellite sets throughout the arena. 

The most spectacular of all these was when Rodrigo sat upon a giant moon prop and was transported around the arena. It was the perfect way to make everyone in the stadium feel included and led to some stunning moments. Even the screens behind the stage, which showed home videos of Rodrigo’s childhood and the camerawork, which made her performance almost look like a music video at times, were expertly crafted. 

While some of the dialogue in the show seemed a little trite at times, Rodrigo did a great job of making the crowd feel engaged and included. At one point, she asked the crowd to scream so loud that it nearly ruptured the eardrums of everyone in the stadium. With a mixture of bemusement and joy on her face, Rodrigo remarked that it was one of the loudest noises that she had ever heard in her life. And the fervour in the stadium certainly reflected that. 

As she progressed through the rest of her set, she performed many of her fan favourites amongst a catalogue of smash hits. Her ‘surprise’ song “All I Want” garnered a huge cheer from the crowd as did “love is embarrassing”, “lacy” and “all-american bitch.” The quality of her all-female band and dancers were also on show, ably supporting Rodrigo through the high-octane set. 

As Rodrigo closed out the set with “good 4 u” and “get him back!”, two of her biggest hits, some of her words throughout the concert rang particularly true. After a speech about being afraid of the future and what it would bring for her, Rodrigo said, “nowadays, I’m more excited to grow up.” This was certainly reflected in her artistry. This was a concert of the ultimate professional, in voice, stagecraft and songwriting. Rodrigo had a lot of hype heading into this tour and she certainly lived up to it, as reflected by the rapturous ovations she received throughout the night. If this is her level at 21, it is quite exciting to think about just how good she is going to be over the next ten years. 

As Rodrigo headed off stage, she said, “I seriously love it in Sydney, I really mean it. Thank you so much for making this so special.” It was a sentiment felt by the entire crowd after a fantastic night. 

Rating: ★★★★★

Olivia Rodrigo – Qudos Bank Arena – 17^th October, 2024

All photos: @Qudos Bank Arena @glenn_pokorny