Olivia Rodrigo Thrills Fans As ‘Sour’ Tour Arrives In Chicago

In the often contrived world of popular music, it’s rare to catch a rising star on tour within the confines of an intimate venue like a club or theater.

Acts today are designed for immediate placement in stadiums or arenas, rarely given the time to find their footing or grow as performers in front of varying audiences on different sized stages.

Which is just a small part of what makes Olivia Rodrigo’s current “Sour” tour so refreshing. The outing, which runs through May before heading to Europe in June, finds the Disney star performing multi-night runs in most cities in mid-sized venues.

Friday night in Chicago, the first of two sold out shows in front of 5,000 crazed fans at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Rodrigo and opening act Gracie Abrams thrilled young fans for nearly two and a half hours in the general admission room.

“In this venue, it really does feel like a fairy tale,” said Abrams on stage, taking stock of her surroundings.

Built in 1926, the Moorish-themed Aragon is named after a community in Spain and contains a stunning interior designed to resemble the courtyard of a Spanish castle.

“Chicago! What a crowd!” said Rodrigo upon taking the stage. “You waited outside, it’s crazy!”

Wednesday, the venue posted to social media instructing fans to arrive no sooner than three hours before the show while refraining from camping out overnight. One hour prior to the concert, fans were lined up down Lawrence Avenue and onto Broadway Street in the Uptown neighborhood on Chicago’s north side, waiting patiently about a half mile away from the venue.

The success of Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR was immediate and immense upon release last year. She wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks on the album, becoming the only artist ever to crack the top 10 of Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart with her first three singles.

Now triple platinum in America, the album became a global sensation, reaching number one in nearly 20 countries. Rodrigo set and then broke her own streaming records on Spotify and took a well deserved victory lap two weeks ago at the Grammys, walking away with three of the seven awards for which she was nominated.

Recently named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, Rodrigo, 19, also proved to be a savvy businesswoman, coming to an agreement with her label that gives her ownership of her masters.

“This is my niece’s first concert! I think this is the best possible concert for her first concert,” said a fan named Mimi at the Aragon. “My sister plays her in the car to the point where all three of us sing out loud. And she’s too cool for school. So anything that my sister listens to and jams to, I’m automatically gonna think is awesome.”

Rodrigo, backed by a terrific four piece band, sat down at the piano Friday to deliver her breakout debut single “drivers license.” “I wrote this song about driving through the suburbs crying…” said the singer, outlining the origins of the hit, barely audible over screaming as the crowd lost its collective mind. Opening with just vocals and piano, guitar soon dove low. “Sing it!” said the star, egging on a crowd that did not appear to require such instruction.

A sea of phones was visible from the Aragon balcony, overjoyed fans capturing nearly every moment. Priced at just $20 for tour posters, merch prices seemed reasonable and sales were brisk Friday in Chicago.

Rodrigo opened “hope ur ok” solo on acoustic guitar following a cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated,” one of two covers performed Friday in Chicago. Her take on “Seether,” by Chicago alt rockers Veruca Salt, was particularly appropriate Friday in the Windy City.

Frequently referred to as a major voice for Generation Z, Rodrigo’s empowering music doubled as an all hands sing-a-long throughout the evening.

“I just got broken up with,” said a young concertgoer named Abby from the south suburbs of Chicago. “It’s the emotions in the songs. It happens. But I just felt the songs ten times harder. It was worth it.”

A disco ball dropped as cutting guitar rang throughout an arena-ready anthem. “happier” was an early highlight on night one at the Aragon. Rodrigo scaled risers flanking each side of the otherwise sparsely adorned stage, eventually sitting down, legs dangling as she reached to accept flowers from fans in front before pausing for a selfie with the packed crowd.

“So this song technically isn’t on SOUR…” said Rodrigo before being drowned out by the rabid Chicago crowd. Revisiting High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, she delivered “All I Want,” before moving back to piano for “traitor.”

The cover of the SOUR album finds Rodrigo adorned in stickers. Friday night, she applied stickers featuring the Chicago flag and Cloud Gate sculpture to equipment on stage, placing them near stickers from some of the other cities in which she’s performed during this tour.

“You guys are amazing,” said Rodrigo Friday from atop her piano, going on to introduce her band. “I just have one question for you…” said the singer, setting up the main set’s closing number. “Do you guys get deja vu?” she asked rhetorically to deafening screams.

“I was here last month and it was the best show of the tour,” said opening act Gracie Abrams, warming up the Chicago crowd with a reference to a recent performance of her own at Chicago’s Metro. “Welcome to the ‘Sour’ tour!” said the singer. “To be a part of this in any tiny fraction of a way is like the joy of my life.”

Abrams led the crowd in wishing a happy birthday to a young fan up front at the beginning of a 40 minute set which saw her backed by a drummer and guitarist.

Opening with the ethereal sounds of “Feels Like,” Abrams closed the set handling keyboards on “I Miss You, I’m Sorry.”

“Olivia is a gem,” said Abrams on stage Friday. “We owe her a lot of love.”