Olivia Rodrigo Launches Her Unraveled Tour in Connecticut With Flowers, a NorEaster and a Disintegrating Dress

Olivia Rodrigo fans in Hartford, Connecticut had two concerns on Friday night: finding an outfit appropriate for both the opening night of Rodrigo's “Unraveled†tour and for the blustery nor'easter slamming the Northeast, and whether that weather event would mess with their travel plans. The bad news was that such outfit options were slim. The good news? With rain comes flowers.

Inside PeoplesBank Arena, the production crew had created a full-blown garden, with thousands of (fake) flowers festooning Rodrigo's stage. As songs like Charli XCX's “Boys†and Grouplove's “Tongue Tied†blared over arena speakers, so did sounds of nature like crickets chirping and birds singing.

And sure enough, just before 8 p.m. Rodrigo led the audience on a journey through the seasons, focused on songs from her third and latest album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.†Beginning with spring, she launched the nearly two-hour set — similar to but longer than the one she played at her “Daisy Chain†festival in California late last month — with hits like “Drop Dead†and “Good 4 U†before progressing to summer, with hot versions of “My Way†and “Ballad of a Homeschool Girl.†By the time we reached autumn, the crew had taken around half the flowers off stage but Rodrigo's vocals heated up with arguably her strongest performances of the night on “Cigarette Smoke.â€

The set's emotional centerpiece coincided with winter, as Rodrigo sang the song that launched her career: “Driver's License,†to the expected tearful massed singalongs from the crowd. She then followed with the most Instagrammable moment: For the season's final song, “The Cure,†a (fake) rainstorm drenched Rodrigo. As her white dress soaked through, it disintegrated, falling off of her in pieces to reveal what appeared to be a cherry red latex body suit (notably similar to some of the outfits she'd worn during the “Guts†tour).

For the encore, Rodrigo, still soaking wet, changed into a white tank to and low-rise jeans to perform the final three songs of the evening: “Deja Vu,†“All-American Bitch†and “Expectations.â€

While Rodrigo didn't speak to the audience much during the set, beyond wishing her mother a happy birthday, between the dazzling stage and 24-song, career-spanning set, it's hard to imagine that anyone left disappointed. The 86-date tour will make its way across North America through February 2027, concluding with a 10-night run at both Los Angeles' Intuit Dome and New York City's Barclays Center. Then, in March, Rodrigo will jet off to Europe for shows in Amsterdam, Munich and Barcelona before wrapping the tour with a pair of shows at London's O2 Arena.

Setlist:
Spring
“Drop Deadâ€
“U + Me = <3â€
“So Americanâ€
“Good 4 Uâ€
“Deja Vuâ€
Summer
“My Wayâ€
“Serena Joyâ€
“Bad Idea Rightâ€
“Ballad of a Homeschooled GIrlâ€
“Vampireâ€
“Purpleâ€
Autumn
“Stupid Songâ€
“Maggots for Brainsâ€
“Traitorâ€
“Beggedâ€
“Cigarette Smokeâ€
Winter
“Honeybeeâ€
“Favorite Crimeâ€
“Drivers Licenseâ€
“Lessâ€
“The Cureâ€
Encore / Spring
“Deja Vuâ€
“All American Bitchâ€
“Expectationsâ€