Olivia Rodrigo holds nothing back at United Center including release date for deluxe 'Guts'

OLIVIA-032024_016.jpg Olivia Rodrigo performs to a sold-out crowd at the United Center on Tuesday night. — Olivia Rodrigo performs to a sold-out crowd at the United Center on Tuesday night.

Olivia Rodrigo spilled her “GUTS” — and some surprise info — at the United Center Tuesday night, during the first of two sold-out shows in Chicago. During the set-ending closer, “get him back!” the pop star opened up a handwritten note revealing that a deluxe edition of her sophomore album will be out Friday.

Rumors of the new version’s existence have been swirling ever since the Billboard-topping “GUTS” was released in September. And nearly overnight, the news went viral, in the wake of controversy during Rodrigo’s March 12 tour stop in St. Louis where condoms and morning after pills were handed out to concertgoers. It was part of Rodrigo’s new Fund 4 Good initiative she launched ahead of the tour, partnering with local chapters of the National Network of Abortion Funds in each show’s market to support reproductive rights. (Her representatives have since come out stating contraceptives would no longer be distributed.)

Olivia Rodrigo performs at the United Center on Tuesday night.

At the United Center there were no visible signs or tabling of the Fund 4 Good efforts, but there was a tangible presence from the voter registration organization Head Count, on the same night Illinois primary elections were taking place. Rodrigo’s support for voting rights and women’s health rights on the GUTS World Tour comes at a crucible in America, in a highly important election year. It’s also indicative of the strong voice for hot-button issues she has cultivated in her relatively short recording career, starting with the release of “SOUR” in 2021.

In that time, the now 21-year-old has had a meteoric rise, hinging on her ability to dovetail a relatability factor with role-model stature — not unlike contemporary demigod Taylor Swift. Rodrigo’s tour, one of the most in-demand of the year, picks up where the Eras Tour left off and is evidence that women artists will continue to rule the roost in 2024.

OLIVIA-032024_022.jpg Olivia Rodrigo performs at the United Center on Tuesday night. — Olivia Rodrigo performs at the United Center on Tuesday night.

The wide appeal of Rodrigo was clearly evident in her United Center set. When the uber-excited crowd wasn’t screaming along to every word of confessional hits like “love is embarrassing,” it exploded in a chorus of praise. “She’s gorgeous!” “I’m obsessed with her!” “I’m already losing my voice!” were just some of the screaming comments that could be heard in the packed rows of the stadium.

Rodrigo played into the “I’m your bestie” persona — waving to the throngs of fans, telling them to “jump, scream, cry if you feel like crying” and to “think of someone who really f*****g pisses you off and scream.” At one point, the singer-songwriter was harnessed into a giant moon prop that slowly moved about the stadium during “logical” and “enough for you,” allowing her to get up-close and personal with the crowd. Throughout the night, she was always keenly aware of where the video screen cameras were, getting right up into the lenses and either snarling or smiling with a doe-eyed, killer irony. It’s that dichotomy that beautifully continues to play out in her music.

OLIVIA-032024_013.jpg Olivia Rodrigo performs at the United Center on Tuesday night. — Olivia Rodrigo, her topnotch band and killer visual effects make for an unforgettable night at the United Center on Tuesday.

On the one hand, Rodrigo’s ballads were fetching, with her sublime voice hitting all the right notes on the sweet coming-of-age tale “Teenage Dream.” It was followed by snippets of childhood home videos and a speech addressing the fears and the beauty in getting older. “Growing up I thought was the worst and scariest thing in the world … I turned 21 last month, and I know myself so much more. Now I look forward to growing up and think of it as the most exciting thing,” she proclaimed.

But it was the other half of her set, the riotous rock numbers, that stole the show. Coupled with her scorching all-female band on guitars, drums, keys, bass and backup vocals, they nailed numbers like “jealousy, jealousy” and the finale sendoff of “brutal”/”obsessed”/”all-american bitch”/”good 4 u”/”get him back!” that harkened back to the ‘90s deluge of expressionist rock goddesses like Alanis Morissette, Liz Phair, Gwen Stefani and The Breeders (who have opened for the singer in the past). Rodrigo’s fishnets and Doc Martens all but sealed that influence. During the numbers, young girls in the audience did their best air drumming and guitar playing and headbanged along with Rodrigo, hopefully setting up the next generation who were inspired on this night.

(One aside: Just shocking that Rodrigo wasn’t a part of the Lollapalooza lineup announced earlier in the day, as some had speculated; her tour opener, Chappell Roan, will be at the August fest in Chicago.)