Olivia Rodrigo delivers on a ‘special’ night
The star told the audience she had a feeling it would be a “special night”.
Photo: @ISHASHAHPHOTOGRAPHY
It was my first time at a BST Hyde Park event, and you can tell. I’m so used to going to All Points East every year, I booked a hotel an eight-minute drive down the road from Victoria Park, and only realised last night when it clicked it’s quite literally called BST Hyde Park. I was so proud of myself, thinking I’d be tucked away —gleefully in bed — while all the other attendees struggled with the tube. Nope, I was going to be the one struggling on the tube. Thankfully, though, I touched down in my hotel before 11pm, somehow, and still felt somewhat pleased. If I hadn’t booked a hotel, that train from Euston to Milton Keynes would have got me home at some absurd time like 1am, and it’s not what you want after standing for hours.
Before the international pop star was set to take the stage, rising stars The Last Dinner Party warmed up the stage with their vintage-esque sounds, softly swooning and dancing their way through the set. On Your Side slowed down their set for a gentle, tender moment, marking it as one of the best.
Photo: @sophiajcarey
With a sea of purple and sequin skirts in the crowd, it was clear everyone was here for one reason and one reason only: Olivia Rodrigo. The wait from the last act to the headliner was a whole hour and, with a crowd littered with children, you could tell most were getting restless.
In a puff of smoke and an excruciatingly long intro regarding her album GUTS (spilled), the deluxe version of her second album, the opening chords to bad idea, right? rang out and the crowd responded with a huge cheer that only got louder once the American appeared on stage, a smile firmly on her face.
With a discography like Olivia’s, it’s no wonder there was never a dull moment and the balance between melancholy and fun was met with ease, flittering between tracks like vampire and drivers license before a stark contrast in the form of traitor, obsessed and love is embarrassing, which got everyone jumping without so much as a request.
The set made me step back for a second and realise just how well Olivia has done, starting off as a Disney Channel star and forging that same path so many have done before her.
Audience interaction seems to come naturally to the American, who, at one point, runs down to the crowd, singing with several lucky front row residents, before returning to jump her way through a hit-filled set.
“London is my favourite city,” Olivia tells the crowd, doing nothing to help nip the rumours in the bud that she’s switching New York for London. “And I love London boys, well a London boy,” she laughs, before bursting into so american, a track written about her romance with Enola Holmes actor Louis Partridge (who has seemingly put her onto a lot of music — the pair were spotted at Pulp’s set at Glastonbury yesterday).
Photo: @jrcmccord
Surprising the crowd, the singer introduces the “best songwriter”, and Ed Sheeran joins her on stage for a cover of his early hit A Team, one of the tracks that shot him to stardom. My niece tells me she doesn’t know who he is, but I don’t buy it; you’d have to live under a rock not to recognise that ginger mop.
Once he exits, deja vu breaks out, and I could’ve sworn in that moment it had already played that night — weird, but maybe Olivia’s got a couple of witches working for her backstage, or maybe that’s her intention.
She runs off stage, but everyone, as they often do, know it’s not over; we’re all waiting for the same thing — it’s not really an ‘encore’, just an excuse for the singer to change outfit and have enough time to do so.
The global popstar ends her set with an insanely catchy and energetic final four: brutal, all-american bitch, smash hit good 4 u, before ending the night on fan favourite get him back!. Is there any stage this woman can’t conquer? Glastonbury, you’re next.
