Singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo surprised Los Angeles with an intimate show held on Monday night. She shared the show announcement just a day before, giving fans a one-hour notice to buy tickets for the concert before sales opened.
Rodrigo’s show came in partnership with American Express. It served as the opener to “Amex Member Week,” a week-long celebration for Amex credit cardholders featuring similar special events and ticket offers from Oct. 9 until Oct. 13. Tickets to Rodrigo’s L.A. show were all priced at $25 exclusively for Amex cardholders. All proceeds were donated to “Fund 4 Good,” Rodrigo’s newly launched non-profit that aims to support women-centered causes like reproductive healthcare.
Fans who were lucky enough to snag tickets noted their relief in getting a chance to see Rodrigo perform ahead of her arena world tour scheduled for next year, which was notoriously subjected to dynamic pricing because of the high demand.
“The experience of buying tickets for the tour was stressful. My plan was to go to as many shows as possible and travel; I was even going to go to her Europe shows, but plans changed when I saw the prices,” attendee Valeria Perez said.
Fans like Perez were shocked to see the surprise show’s comparably inexpensive cost, but were quick to accept their good luck, especially given that Rodrigo shared intimate stories in between her hits at Monday’s performance.
Though now residing in New York City, 20-year-old Rodrigo attributes her artist roots to growing up in Los Angeles. The SoCal native’s return could not have been a more ideal homecoming, having also performed at The GRAMMY Museum just a week before. Monday’s show was held at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A. Reopened in 2014, the venue was reflective of other renovated historical movie theaters along the South Broadway strip, compared to the arenas she will take on in 2024, like The Kia Forum.
The singer-songwriter said Los Angeles still remains a constant in her current songwriting process and noted that she even took classes at USC last year. Rodrigo shared on stage, “I took a poetry class and one of the poems I wrote for the assignment was this poem that I loved a lot called ‘Lacy,’” before performing the eponymous fan-favorite.
The setlist consisted of other acoustic renditions from her newly-released sophomore album “GUTS,” with many of the songs having their live debuts that night. Rodrigo performed seven of the 12 songs on the album with long-time producer and collaborator Dan Nigro. Rodrigo’s vocals powered through the theater’s ornate halls and the crowd quickly noticed her strong, now mature tone as she opened with her single “Vampire.”
From depicting a toxic relationship in “The Grudge” to tackling the reality of entering her 20s in “Teenage Dream,” Rodrigo gave attendees a sneak peak to her highly-anticipated tour. She concluded the night with “Traitor” from her debut album “SOUR,” a final homage to her roots, ending the concert on a rather sweet note.
The experience didn’t stop with the one-night-only performance, which can now be streamed on YouTube. Rodrigo’s team and American Express pulled all the stops to create an interactive and memorable night for everyone in attendance, as attested by fans like Arely Macedo, who shared, “The freebies were so thoughtful and it was just the most perfect evening.”
The venue featured photo booths and backdrops inspired by Rodrigo’s music videos. Attendees were gifted with a variety of treats including matcha drinks, pins, lipstick samples and glass cups. An “Olivia’s Tacos” stand was set up next door to the theater with a menu of classic L.A. tacos, all complimentary for attendees.
During the concert, Rodrigo and Nigro shared tidbits about the making of “GUTS,” which they both agreed involved quite a bit of “toiling.” Both were eager to let the new project grow outside the shadow of its wildly-successful older sister, “SOUR.”
While Rodrigo is known for her poignant bedroom ballads, half of “GUTS” leans more on the rock spectrum, of which “SOUR” had only dabbled in. Nigro said he is thrilled that fans will be able to see “the more sarcastic side of Olivia,” further encouraged when he asked the audience to stand for all of her upbeat songs like “Get Him Back!”
Rodrigo admitted on stage that her pop-punk ditty “All-American Bitch” is the number she’s most excited to play on tour. Her performance of the song that night included a heartfelt banshee wail, which attendees were quick to join in the screams.
The theater that once was a movie palace for silent films in the 1920s now inhabited the joyful bellows of the young audience. The collective release was proof enough that the world was ready for Rodrigo’s edgier era.
