Manchester has enjoyed a string of huge shows from some of the biggest names in music over the last few weeks. Artists including Harry Styles, Alicia Keys and Red Hot Chili Peppers have all played sold-out stadiums and arenas across the city.
Olivia Rodrigo is the latest chart-topper to be welcomed to Manchester. However, unlike the others, the size of the venue doesn’t quite match the scale of her fanbase, as one of the biggest pop acts on the planet chose to start small on her first foray into live performances, opting for a smaller venue - Manchester’s O2 Apollo.
Whilst she found fame on Disney’s High School Musical series, it was her clever lyrics documenting the universal experience of teenage love that gained her worldwide attention. Coupled with the power of TikTok, the 19-year-old’s debut studio album Sour attracted global success and earned her multiple Grammy Award wins on top of 385 million streams in its first week on Spotify.
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Sour Tour tickets sold-out in a matter of minutes, and if you saw the size of her adoring crowd at last weekend’s Glastonbury Festival, you’ll realise how tightly gig-goers were clutching their gold-dust tickets for one of the most anticipated shows of the year. According to social media, some fans had been waiting as long as 17 hours outside the venue to ensure they got a spot at the front barrier to see their hero.
The night began with support from 24-year old South African-born London-based singer songwriter Baby Queen. Real name Arabella Latham, Baby Queen set the tone for the night ahead, storming through a powerful set of guitar-driven rock songs under lyrics of teenage confusion.
This seemed like the perfect special guest booking for the night’s main act, as the young audience shouted back the lyrics to underdog anthem Wannabe, which references the pressures of school life, chanting “You can be a loser like me”.
The set featured tracks from last year’s mixtape The Yearbook, but it was the more recent release Colours of You which got the biggest reaction, a song written specifically for Netflix’s recent hit coming-of-age series, Heartstopper. Baby Queen treated fans to an unreleased track before closing with 90s-inspired tune Lazy.
One Direction’s ‘Olivia’ had the house at full voice before Olivia Rodrigo herself emerged on stage for her first visit to Manchester. A chorus of excited screams rang around the Apollo’s walls before the night’s headliner fired into grunge-fuelled album opener Brutal, which had everyone from the floor to the balcony on their feet and singing back every word.
After introducing herself and her all-girl band with “What’s up Manchester?” Olivia launched into Jealousy, Jealousy. Settling into the set, she introduced Driver’s License - the track that was the catalyst for her already phenomenal success.
Sitting at her piano, she described how she wrote the song at her home, fuelled by heartbreak. She said: “I never dreamed you’d be singing it back to me so far from home.”
The teenager’s influences are obvious. She has cited Taylor Swift, Alanis Morrissette, Gwen Stefani and Lily Allen as some of her musical idols - the latter having joined her on stage at Glastonbury for a powerful performance of Lily’s track ‘F**K You’, which they dedicated to the judges of the Supreme Court who shockingly overturned the Roe v Wade ruling on abortion in the US a few days prior.
Just like at Worthy Farm, Olivia performed a cover of noughties Avril Lavigne anthem Complicated. With only one album under her belt, it wouldn’t be the only cover of the night, as she later surprised fans with her own version of Republica’s hit Ready To Go - which got even the slightly overwhelmed dads in the audience out of their seats!
Olivia picked up her acoustic guitar for the next few songs without her band, who had now been covered by a curtain. She played her album closer Hope Ur Ok, Rodrigo’s statement of support and sympathy for outcasts, and Enough For You, which saw fans holding homemade signs with messages of support, which Olivia later thanked them for.
These slightly more subdued, quieter moments emphasised her talent with her clever lyrics perfectly capturing the difficult journey of your teenage years. Her small frame standing lonely at the front of the stage, with just her guitar for company, made you realise just how young she really is.
This youth was reflected in the age of the gig goers, with some youngsters clearly experiencing the magic of live music for the very first time. Their excitement was infectious and it was hard not to smile as some of them attended their first concert with older siblings and parents.
On stage, the curtain was drawn back to reveal the band again, who played a rock instrumental with a roaring guitar solo whilst Olivia went off stage. She returned moments later in a different, sparkly outfit to match the huge shining disco ball now above her to perform a heavier version of tracks Happier as well as All I Want, the song she wrote for her character on the soundtrack of the High School Musical series.
The singer confidently interacted with her audience throughout the night, even wishing one lucky fan a happy 18th birthday. At one rare pause in the set, Olivia picked up a sticker which had been thrown on stage, which she swiftly added to her backdrop of stickers on her band’s platform, a collection she had been building from every show from the tour - something the Manchester fans had obviously come prepared for!
After formally introducing the Apollo’s 3,500-strong crowd to her band of brilliant musicians, Olivia set up her penultimate song Deja Vu by asking, “I was just wondering if anyone in here gets deja vu?”
After a brief moment off stage, rather than a traditional encore, the blistering set ended with pop banger Good 4 U. Olivia waved goodbye amongst falling confetti and the noise of her adoring crowd, taking the time to thank her Manchester fans.
As those from the venue spilled out onto the streets of Ardwick, it was evident the star’s appeal will only multiply since the magic of her concerts spread through her fanbase and beyond. We’re sure Olivia will be playing stadiums in no time.
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