It was a breezy and cold April evening at The Armory yesterday. A night that may have had you questioning why the heck you live in Minnesota in the first place. This didn’t stop Olivia Rodrigo fans from lining up at the venue before noon for a night that would end up fully delivering on everyone’s expectations.
By the time doors opened at 6pm, the line was already around the block. Even with the howling winds, (blowing over 20mph at times) fans were buzzing with excitement and huddling together to stay warm. We asked a few fans why the loved Olivia Rodrigo and the responses were all over the board (in a great way).
“She’s our generations Paramore. I’ve cried to SOUR so many times.”
“AGHHHHH!!!!” (no really, she said this)
“I feel like she get’s me. Like, she knows what I’m going through”
“I broke up with my boyfriend over ‘drivers license’. I couldn’t miss this.”
When an artist means this much to you, you wait in line for hours to get a good spot. It’s just what you do.
Gracie Abrams opened the night with the perfect set to prepare fans for Olivia. As Abrams set concluded, the lights came on in the massive, sold out venue and you could really see how big Olivia Rodrigo’s fanbase is. 15 minutes later the lights dimmed, phones came out, the record button was pressed and the energy in the room rose to a level that you couldn’t resist being a part of. She arrived to the stage in a red checkered skirt with a large heart over her mid section – a signal that she intended to share back the love her fans have been giving her throughout her career so far. Joined by a 4-piece band, she quickly went through some of her biggest hits from the SOUR album. Drivers license, traitor, happier. . . a dream come true for fans. As a station, we’ve played Olivia Rodrigo songs from day one. To see that energy manifested in a sold out crowd was truly an awesome sight! With young pop artists, it’s not uncommon for their first big tours to be a work in progress. Meaning, the musical performances are still coming together, the artist is still finding their voice and is building up the necessary confidence to deliver on songs that fans can recite second by second. This was not the case last night. Olivia Rodrigo had the air of a performer with 10 years of experience under their belt. Casually moving from her glistening grand piano to making quick costume changes and chatting up the crowd in-between songs. . . it felt so fresh and uplifting in a time where it’s hard to stand out.
a 10/10 show from the KS95 crew. Were you there? Did you have fun? Let us know on social media!
More photos below.
