Olivia Rodrigo is set to kick off her GUTS <\/em>tour in February 2024<\/a>, but as a warm-up to the big show, she performed a surprise concert in LA on Oct. 9. The Rodrigo concert event was announced on Sunday as part of American Express\u2019 Member Week, and tickets went on sale just hours after it was posted on Rodrigo\u2019s official fan<\/a> account\u2019s IG. I was lucky enough to get tickets, and the entire experience just made me even more excited for the tour next year. <\/p>\n Not only did Rodrigo play songs live off GUTS<\/em><\/a> for the first time, but there was also free matcha, photo ops from her \u201cbad idea right?\u201d music video<\/a>, and a Q&A section of the show. Rodrigo\u2019s producer, Dan Nigro, joined her onstage for the performance, and it was cool hearing the two share stories of their writing experience and how songs off GUTS <\/em>came to be. <\/p>\n I was actually shocked at some of the confessions, like when Rodrigo admitting to drinking wine in a NYC restaurant and how the song \u201cLacy\u201d was originally a poem she wrote for a class at USC. The entire American Express Presents: An Evening with Olivia Rodrigo <\/em>show is available for Livies to watch on her YouTube channel from Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET to Oct. 12, but here\u2019s an inside look at what it was like going to Rodrigo\u2019s surprise show in LA. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n Right as you entered The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown LA, there were photo ops for fans like GUTS <\/em>details on the mirrors for selfies. They also had a merch table with some exclusive items like a tee that said \u201cI spill my GUTS in Los Angeles\u201d ($40) and a \u201cspill ur guts in LA\u201d hoodie ($80). If this a preview of the tour merch to come, you\u2019ll definitely want to start saving your money now. Even the hats and beanies were $40 each, which is bit of a splurge but a little more reasonable than $30 socks<\/a>. <\/p>\n The venue also had two retro photo booths for you and your BFF to take pics in, and a photo moment inspired by the \u201cbad idea right?\u201d music video with vanity mirrors you could pretend to get ready in with lipstick. If you went upstairs, they also had a table handing out out free matcha lattes from Midori Matcha. At the end of the night, there was a \u201clate night bite\u201d taco truck outside and each guest was given a reusable glass cup with Rodrigo\u2019s logo on it as well. <\/p>\n The Insta-worthy GUTS<\/em> experiences<\/a> and seemingly endless matcha were definitely highlights, but everyone was there to see Rodrigo perform. <\/p>\n Rodrigo and Nigro took to the stage just a little after 8 p.m., and kicked off the show with GUTS\u2019 <\/em>first single, \u201cvampire.\u201d During the Q&A section, Rodrigo admitted that the first song she was hoping to release from the album was \u201cteenage dream\u201d on her 20th birthday on Feb. 20<\/a>. Nigro was more of a fan of \u201cbad idea right?\u201d, but they both said that \u201cvampire\u201d was ultimately the right choice. <\/p>\n After \u201cvampire,\u201d the two sat down to talk about writing the album and where they got inspiration. At the time, Rodrigo was attending the University of Southern California, and one of her classes was a \u201cpoetry class\u201d where she wrote \u201clacy.\u201d After sharing how the song came to be, Rodrigo performed the track off the album, which was a first for fans. In fact, most of the set list included songs that haven\u2019t been performed in front of audience before, so it felt like a dress rehearsal for the GUTS <\/em>tour. <\/p>\n The audience was treated to \u201cballad of a homeschooled girl,\u201d \u201cthe grudge,\u201d \u201cteenage dream,\u201d \u201cget him back,\u201d and \u201call-american b*tch,\u201d which Rodrigo shared is the song she\u2019s most excited to play on tour. During the Q&A, she also said \u201cthe grudge\u201d was the song she cried to the most<\/a> while recording, and it was almost left off the album entirely. \u201cWe debated for a while,\u201d she shared. \u201cWe were like, \u2018Maybe we don\u2019t put \u2018the grudge\u2019 on the record and we put \u2018obsessed\u2019 on the record instead.\u2019\u201d Since \u201cthe grudge\u201d is in my top three song on the album, I was shocked at that confession. Luckily, \u201cthe grudge\u201d stayed.<\/p>\nInside Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s Surprise GUTS <\/em>Show In LA<\/h2>\n
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<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s Surprise Concert Included Some BTS Stories From The Making Of GUTS<\/em><\/h2>\n
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