By Mia Shea
Staff Writer
With the Netflix release of Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS World Tour,” which featured hits such as “vampire,” “bad idea right?” and “get him back!” on Oct. 29, fans now have the opportunity to watch the concert from the comfort of their own homes.
The film is a recording of a show performed at the Inuit Dome in Inglewood, California. This was the tour for Rodrigo’s 2023 album, “GUTS.”
The movie begins with Rodrigo and her backup dancers backstage before the concert, with the show opening with the song “bad idea right?” From the get-go, her energy is high as she makes her way around the perimeter of the stage.
She maintains this energy as she moves onto “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” Vocally, Rodrigo is toying with a more pop-punk and angsty style than she does on the version on the album.
She then scales back the performance with the lead single on the album, “vampire,” which is a slower ballad. This then sets the tone for “traitor,” a hit from Rodrigo’s first album, “SOUR.”
Sticking to the same mood, Rodrigo plays piano while performing her debut single “drivers license” and continues with the mellow tempo “teenage dream,” a song about the fear of growing up.
While she performs “teenage dream,” clips of her as a young child performing are projected behind her, which was a nice touch from her and her production team.
The slower section of songs Rodrigo plays here embodies her versatility as an artist, as well as showcases her vocals and energy even during slower songs. It allows her to demonstrate her talent not only vocally, but also her ability to play the piano and guitar
Picking up the speed and energy again with songs from “GUTS,” Rodrigo performs “pretty isn’t pretty” and “love is embarrassing,” where her backup dancers feed off her energy.
Her dancers are phenomenal and enhance her performance throughout the whole show. However the few moments where Rodrigo is on stage by herself show how entrancing she is as an artist. She is able to command the attention of the 18,000 people in attendance and those watching from home as well.
The next section of the concert consists of Rodrigo being seated on a moon, floating around the stadium where she is able to see everyone in the audience. By doing so, she is able to create a more intimate moment with the audience.
Along with Rodrigo on the floating moon, hundreds of stars also float all around the perimeter of the venue, enhancing this outer space look. The design and visuals of this concert are superb and seamless, and it’s evident with how cohesive everything is.
The concert progresses with hits from “GUTS” as well as “SOUR,” which is a nice mix of her older and newer stuff.
About halfway through the concert, Rodrigo brings out special guest Chappell Roan to perform Roan’s song “HOT TO GO!” together. Roan, who was the opener for Rodrigo’s 2022 “SOUR” tour before becoming immensely popular, opened for the beginning leg of the “GUTS” world tour, too.
The balance of ballads, acoustics and intensity are very cohesive and create a solid flow for the concert. The camera work of the concert also has a nice balance of crowd shots and up close shots of Rodrigo and her dancers.
The encore consists of “good 4 u” and “get him back!” where Rodrigo’s energy is insanely high as her and her dancers leave the audience mesmerized. The concert translated well from a live format to the Netflix screen as well.
The more upbeat songs she performs definitely have a pop-punk undertone, which appears to be the direction she is leaning toward as she releases new music.
The concert movie overall was phenomenal, and Rodrigo’s energy and talent could be felt through my computer, which is a testament to not only how brilliant of a performer and lyricist she is at such a young age, but also how creative her and her production team are.
