From a Front Row Fangirl

Olivia Rodrigo just wrapped up her world tour “GUTS” where she invited fans to spill their guts with her live in concert! At this show we got to see her transform as a person and performer from someone gutted and struggling with heartbreak to a girl that had the guts to fall in love once again.

Dear Fellow Front Row Fangirls,

Olivia Rodrigo announced her GUTS World Tour on September 13, 2023, but it didn’t start until February 23, 2024 in Palm Springs, California. I was lucky enough to get see this show in person in Phoenix, Arizona on February 24, only her second night on tour.

I have found that artists like Olivia are bringing back the love of heartbreak songs on female rage. She shows her fans that heartbreak has many stages one of them being rage and revenge. Many would call her the next Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, or Taylor Swift, but I think she’s even better. You can hear it in her catchy melodies, beautifully written lyrics and rock influence in her pop songs. She is good at portraying her emotions and feelings in a way that is therapeutic to sing and relatable to hear.

This is not only true in her music but also her personality and stage presence. She puts on a fantastic show engaging everyone from the nosebleeds to the barricade. With her tour graphics behind her on the stage, her dancers adding to the performance, her interactions with the crowd and the different outfits she wears throughout the show.

My favorite thing about her is her lyricism and the way she makes her fans feel through her music. Growing up in the industry her takes on comparison and heartbreak are incredibly relatable and normal. She shares her experiences with her fans on the record and live in concert. During her show on the GUTS tour she shares a moment with the crowd where she invites her fans to think of a moment that made them very mad and to channel that inner rage because when the lights went off everyone screamed as loud as they could and let go of all of their anger. It was a lot of fun and incredibly therapeutic.

Sarah McKay a diehard fan of Olivia Rodrigo says,

“Seeing Olivia live on her Guts Tour was absolutely unreal! From the moment she stepped on stage, the energy was electric. I sang my heart out, and when she performed ‘Vampire,’ I felt like we were all connected in our heartbreak. It was more than a concert; it was a cathartic experience that turned our pain into pure joy. I’ve never felt so empowered and alive! I can’t wait to see her again!”

When it comes to her performance on the stage you can tell she truly values the crowd. Olivia is a fangirl herself. She shows this in her interactions with the crowd throughout the show, but specifically her walk across the barricade after the show ends. Once she finishes her encore she climbs down the stage stairs and makes her across the entire barricade saying hello to her biggest fans. It’s something truly special.

She also caters to the fangirl experience with the most creative tour merch, brand collabs and fan pop-up events. The coolest experience she offered this tour was the GUTS Tour Bus Fan Experience! She created a fan pop-up via tour bus that stopped at every show. The bus was full of photo-ops for fans, exclusive brand collab stations, nods to Olivia’s creative background and previous projects, a postcard writing tent and on-stage effects Olivia uses during each concert.

Outside of the tour bus there were multiple pop-up events with brands like Doc Martens tent (a staple in Olivia’s wardrobe) where fans can customize a shirt for the concert and get a Doc Martens shoe charm, a Stanley X Olivia booth with the option to purchase an engraved with butterflies and stars, and an Italian Charm Bracelet Bar where fans can buy an Olivia Rodrigo specific charm bracelet as well as show specific charms to add to the bracelet.

Olivia also had a lot of creativity relating to her personal brand in her VIP Package:

• One general admission ticket to the pit with priority access
• access to the VIP Bar throughout the night (where a venue specific Olivia-themed drink can be purchased)
• official VIP laminate and lanyard
• early entry to the show
• pre-show merchandise shopping before the general public
• Photo opportunity in front of the VIP backdrop to commemorate your evening
• GUTSY purple baseball hat
• GUTS themed belt bag

*both merch items not available to the general public, they are VIP exclusives

While Olivia is a marketing master when it comes to fan experience I have a few ideas that would enhance the overall experience for all fans!

Guts & Glam:

• Guts & Glam is a pop-up table for fans to create their own beauty queen sash. Olivia is known for including beauty queen sashes in a few of her music videos. Most recently she featured them on every girl in her music video for Obsessed. Every girl wore a tagline that described how they’re remembered from their last relationship or what their ex now calls them (miss obsessed, miss it’s not you it’s me, miss focused on my career, miss on again off again and many more). At this table fans can make their own sash based on an previous relationship. This would also be a fun way for Olivia to feature fans and their creativity on her socials!

Pretty Isn’t Pretty It’s You:

• This is a photo-op fans can use in the bathrooms at venues. On every mirror there will be a mirror decal with the words “Pretty Isn’t Pretty, It’s You” do emphasize that despite the unbelievable beauty standards you are always pretty. The decal would be done in Olivia’s handwritting to offer a fan to artist connection as well as some stars and butterflies around the mirror to emphasize her brand. This is a fun opportunity for fans to capture their concert outfits and be featured on Olivia’s HQ account!

Spill Your Guts Live with Olivia Rodrigo:

• This idea would be included in her live show. Since the whole branding behind this album is “spilling your guts” I think it would be a fun way to engage with the crowd a little more. There would be a fan in the crowd every night selected to “spill their guts” live with Olivia and the rest of the crowd. Fans would be selected based on the craziest stories they have to share about a past relationship (platonic or romantic). The fan selected to share would also get a special pin that says “I Spilled My GUTS Live with Olivia Rodrigo at ‘insert tour stop location here’ and all I got was this pin!”

Olivia makes every show unique and special depending on the crowd. She ensure s to include each and every one of them which emphasizes her best quality as a musician; her inner fangirl. Everyone of her concerts is more than just a show; it’s a celebration of her fans. Olivia makes sure to connect with the crowd, telling stories about her songs, sharing laughs, and even some tears. In those moments, it’s easy to feel like we’re all part of her journey, like she’s singing just for us. It’s these moments that make live tours so unforgettable—a reminder that we’re not alone in feeling “gutsy.”

hugs and kisses,

from a front row fangirl