Olivia Rodrigo brought her Unraveled Tour to Philadelphia this past weekend, performing at Xfinity Mobile Arena on two nights for the 20th and 21st shows of the tour, and I can personally say that Night 1 – Saturday, November 7 – was an amazing time for me and my best friend.
Devon Again was the opening act, beginning at 7 p.m. and marking the first show of many she’ll open for Rodrigo, with her last appearance scheduled for February 28. Her impressive voice and stage presence shined as she sang both original songs and covers.
Rodrigo took the stage at just after 8 p.m., where she performed until just after 10 p.m. The setlist is split into sections based on the four seasons, with interludes on the big screen and changes in the set design on stage marking the breaks between seasons. These visually stunning interludes worked really well to give the audience – and Rodrigo, I’m sure – a break to drink water, rest your legs or catch your breath.
The setlist has more or less stayed the same throughout the tour so far, featuring songs from all three of Rodrigo’s albums and her recent single entitled “serena joy.” However, occasional changes to the setlist and/or “surprise songs” have kept audiences on their toes. For Philly Night 1, the surprise song was “what’s wrong with me”: the only song from Rodrigo’s latest album – “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” – not on the permanent setlist.
Everything more or less seemed to go as planned during the concert, with only a brief interruption to make sure a fan in the pit was okay during the beginning of “maggots for brains.”
Some moments from the tour that have gone viral since she began – the melting dress during “the cure,” the barricade walk during “stupid song,” the chant during “expectations,” etc. – were all present during the show and wonderful to experience in person. Along those lines, the community of concert-goers was also a definite highlight for the night, as it was clear everyone there was a huge fan of Rodrigo and the excitement in the room was palpable. The chance to scream-sing the lyrics to Rodrigo’s songs alongside thousands of fans was incredibly fun and represented girlhood at its finest.
I highly recommend getting tickets if you’re a fan and have the chance to go to one of the remaining performances until May 10, 2027. But if not, definitely keep up to date on social media with videos of the shows, as it’s the next best thing to being there.
Senior Emily Myers is a Copy Editor. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu