OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Rodrigo’s second UK tour showcases a confident star at ease with all-out punk-rock and intimate pop alike
Toilet sinks are streaked with purple glitter and lost hair ribbons decorate the foyer. Olivia Rodrigo has not yet arrived, but the Hydro already feels like a teen girl’s bedroom. On stage, Guts – the title of her Grammy-nominated second album – is spelled out by towering, melting candles. A soldout crowd, clad in homemade merch, scream when the T teeters and falls; they know it means the show’s about to start.
Expectations are sky-high for the American singer-songwriter’s second UK tour, not least because her original opening night was rescheduled due to ongoing technical problems with Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena. Rodrigo’s previous visit, in 2022, intentionally played to small venues that could barely meet demand; a smart decision she has described as “ultimate practice” in stagecraft, designed to balance out her rapid rise to fame in 2021.
