Spilling my GUTS at Olivia Rodrigo’s Concert

In October of 2023, I wrote a review for Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS. I was fortunate to see her live on the first night of her world tour on February 23rd. Life does complete 360s! It’s the perfect way to celebrate her best album yet!

The Day the Tickets Dropped

I had signed up to receive a code to be able to purchase tickets, and I then forced my sister to sign up just in case I wasn’t picked up. I find it funny that my sister, who signed up at the last minute, received a code, not me. Nonetheless, getting tickets was such a nerve-wracking experience. I was sitting in the corner in class because I was determined to grab those tickets. After technical difficulties and many little heart attacks, I secured two tickets!

As the concert approached, I started to overthink the seats. I had a gut feeling (no pun intended) that something wasn’t fully set in stone. I often overthought the seats and wondered if we would get an okay view. I would brush it off by reminding myself I at least had tickets. Even if they were on the side of the stage, the view wouldn’t be as clear. Who cares where I sit?

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Day of the Concert

While getting ready on the concert day, my sister received an email saying our seats had been relocated. The email specified that we would be moved to the section “FLR.” I looked at the email, confused and stressed, not knowing what “FLR” meant. I went to the arena’s map to find where that section was. For a second, I thought maybe it meant floor, but I didn’t want to jinx it, so I ignored the possibility because it seemed too far-fetched…right?

Change of Plans?

Gates at the Acrisure Arena opened at 6:30 pm, and we headed straight to the box office. I, very confusedly, explained to the woman the email we received. She then walked away and started talking to a group of people behind her about our situation. While waiting, my sister and I saw three girls next to us start happy-screaming and crying. While waiting, I grew anxious, with my main concerns being the huge lines and the time we were wasting when we could be getting in line for merch and finding our seats. The lady returns and tells my sister to refresh and check the tickets. She looked at me and showed me the phone. I could not believe it, so I had to ask the lady. “Ma’am, it says we are VIP… is that right??” I felt so silly and unreal saying that. Then I felt crazy happy when she said we had been upgraded! Unfortunately, since I wasn’t aware we were getting upgraded, we missed out on VIP perks such as exclusive merch, a VIP pass, and a collectible card. The people who did get it were the ones who originally purchased VIP and paid the price, unlike us, so I wasn’t too mad over it. Despite that we still got some VIP perks. We also skipped the huge lines to get inside the venue for merch and got a wristband. Instead of hunting for our seats, we were escorted. I still CANNOT believe we got VIP.

Before the Concert

Before the concert started, I met and took photos with popular social media personalities like Dylan Mulvaney and Chris Olsen. The concert was such an out-of-body experience. I did not hold back and sang my heart out (sorry to anyone near me).

The Highlight of the Night

I think the concert’s highlight was when Olivia was on a crescent moon right above my sister’s and my seat. I cannot believe we were so lucky and blessed to have such an incredible night. She sang all the songs off her GUTS album, some from her SOUR album, and even one of her exclusive songs, “I’m So Obsessed With Your Ex ”. I could feel this concert was already going to be so special, but getting upgraded and seeing her up close was more than I could ever ask for.