Olivia Rodrigo headlines the Daisy Chain Fields music festival at the Great Park in Irvine, California, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Drew A. Kelley/Press-Telegram/SCNG/The Orange County Register/TNS
Olivia Rodrigo has found her voice and continues to discover her artistic vision on The Unraveled Tour.?
The Schottenstein Center, located at 555 Borror Dr., hosted Rodrigo, a Grammy Award-winning pop singer-songwriter, on Oct. 29 for her first Columbus performance on The Unraveled Tour, which features her most recent studio album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” released June 12. Rodrigo will perform a second Columbus show Friday at 7 p.m., according to The Schottenstein Center’s website.?
Rodrigo’s latest album represents a journey of finding love, eventual heartbreak and personal growth. The Unraveled Tour reflects a similar cohesive journey, as it travels through the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter and returns back to spring.?
Prior to the evening’s main act, Wolf Alice — a British alternative rock band — took the stage. The ensemble’s set was sonically cohesive, and their closing number, “Don’t Delete The Kisses,” was a standout.
As the lights dimmed, an image of Rodrigo laying in a bed of pink flowers in a babydoll dress lit up the stage’s backdrop. Rodrigo’s band played a melodic instrumental version of “drop dead” and transitioned into the track as the screen panned to her lying amongst the stage’s floral arrangement.?
The opening track set an optimistic, upbeat tone, lyrically and socially, in Rodrigo’s performance, as pink confetti rained down on the audience.??
For the first act of the performance, which represented spring, the main stage was covered in pink and white flowers, from which Rodrigo picked a bouquet and twirled around the stage throughout “u + me = <3.”? She also featured fans on the stage’s backdrop, singing along to her lyrics and holding up hearts with their hands.?
Rodrigo continued this radiant atmosphere throughout “so american,” for which she flaunted a pink, heart-shaped guitar, and “good 4 u,” in which she transitioned into kicking and throwing the flowers on stage to match the track’s punk-rock themes.?
As the first act came to a close, a golden hue fell over the arena and introduced the summer season.
Rodrigo re-entered the stage to an intense guitar solo that introduced “my way,” an alternative track from her latest album with overarching themes of self-empowerment.?
She continued this message with “serena joy,” her most recent single, released Aug. 24, that commemorated Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields female-fronted music festival that took place Aug. 29 in Irvine, California, and, according to the website, was “founded on [Rodrigo’s] belief that joy, community, and creativity can inspire meaningful change.”?
Rodrigo’s performance then embraced raw and unfiltered lyricism through “bad idea, right?” and “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” as the rock-leaning tracks played with the idea of self-embarrassment and coming-of-age.?
A darker hue then fell over the stage, as the backdrop displayed Rodrigo blowing a singular remaining dandelion picked from a field, conveying the sun setting on the season. A mellow tone set the stage for “vampire,” before evolving into a full piano ballad.?
Rodrigo then sat down on the stage for “purple,” which inspired a more emotionally intimate atmosphere. Her vulnerable lyricism shines on this track, and a soft backing instrumental complemented the live performance.?
As Rodrigo exited the stage and the next seasonal transition began, it could be seen that flowers were being removed from the set — possibly conveying a metaphor of flowers wilting and withering away to mirror the cycle of heartbreak from “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”?
The fall season began on a secondary stage with “stupid song,” a single from Rodrigo’s latest album that touches on falling in love, sometimes too quickly. Her vocals were the focal point of this track, as she made her way back to the main stage and interacted with fans, yet her voice never faltered.?
Back on the main stage, Rodrigo requested that the audience perform a duet with her for “maggots for brains.” The jangly, pop-forward anthem was a standout, as the band took a pause for the outro to allow the crowd to sing along with one another.?
Rodrigo then performed “pretty isn’t pretty” as a surprise song before setting a more somber mood with “begged.”?
As the fall season grew darker, a hard-hitting, emotionally driven performance of “cigarette smoke” made for the most unfiltered look into Rodrigo’s artistry of the evening, as smoke billowed out onto the stage and Rodrigo harmonized with her electric guitar for the track’s bone-chilling outro.?
The arena then welcomed winter, as Rodrigo performed “honeybee,” “favorite crime,” and her first-ever single, “driver’s license,” on the piano under a snowfall.?
Rodrigo moved to a secondary stage for “less,” a quiet track for which she sat along the barricade and held hands with fans, and “the cure.” As the song built, rain poured down onto Rodrigo and melted away her dress, revealing a sparkling red bodysuit beneath it.
This moment represented another transition in Rodrigo’s narrative, as her exterior facade washed away and, with it, her truest self was revealed.?
A plethora of flowers were then placed back onto the main stage as a second spring arrived, and Rodrigo returned for “deja vu” while wearing a T-shirt that read “Dr. Amy Acton for Governor.” She then called on attendees to vote and endorsed Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio’s governor, according to Acton’s website.?
Rodrigo closed out her performance with energetic renditions of “all american b—-” and “expectations,” as she encouraged the audience to dance along with her.?
On The Unraveled Tour, Rodrigo’s artistic vision came to life, as she tied in themes of love and loss from her most recent album with a visual narrative of a year-long seasonal journey for her live enactment.?
Rodrigo has proved herself on stage, not only as a lyricist and vocalist, but as a storyteller.?
Rating: 4.5/5
