Review: Olivia Rodrigo brings high energy and charms Cincinnati during stop for 'Sour' tour

Going to an Olivia Rodrigo concert is a little like the slogan for the Sour Patch Kids candy: “First they’re sour, then they’re sweet.”

Sour, being Rodrigo’s tour and album bearing the same name that burst on the scene in 2021 after her explosive single “Drivers License” earlier that year.

And sweet? The crowds willing to line up hours in advance to see their Gen Z queen and hear her sing songs of teenage love, loss, heartbreak and every emotion in between.

Rodrigo, the recent triple Grammy Award winner, visited Cincinnati and the Andrew J Brady Music Center Friday as the latest stop on her sold out “Sour” world tour.

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The singer and actress initially gained recognition through Disney, with lead roles in the shows “Bizaardvark” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”

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Gracie Abrams (daughter of filmmaker JJ Abrams) opened for Rodrigo, calling Cincinnati the “best crowd,” and adding that she made sure to wear her glasses that night so she could see everyone clearly. One of the songs Abrams preformed Friday was “Block me out,” a song she said she wrote with Cincinnati native Aaron Dessner of the National and Big Red Machine.

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Hours before the scheduled 8 p.m. start to the show, fans were lining up outside the venue, desperate to get as close to the stage and Rodrigo’s magnetic stage presence as possible. And she was magnetic, flitting across the venue’s stage and holding the crowd’s attention easily all night.

The music center has an indoor capacity of 4,500, but Rodrigo made the space feel intimate. She alternated between the larger stage and drawing the stage curtains and leaving behind her supporting band to play slower songs between just her and the audience.

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And of course, there was at least one outfit change mid-show, right between “1 step forward, 3 steps back” and “happier.”

Between songs, Rodrigo told the crowd she normally doesn’t get too emotional during her shows. “But I’m fighting for my life out here,” she said.

In addition to songs from “Sour,” Rodrigo sang two covers, “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne and “Seether” by Veruca Salt.

She ended the night with her smash hit “good 4 u” (Currently sitting at over a billion streams on Spotify) and by shouting out the Queen City.

“Cincinnati, this has truly been one of the most amazing nights of my life, thank you so much,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Review: Olivia Rodrigo charms Cincinnati during 'Sour' tour