When you’ve been writing about why you should be listening to Olivia Rodrigo for more than five-and-a-half years and by three full-length, no-skip albums later, you’ve somehow just seen her live in person for the first time, it takes a moment to piece together what you want to say.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” Rodrigo voiced a few songs into opening night of her Unraveled Tour Friday (Sept. 25).
There were indisputable setlist highs and stunning visuals during the arena tour’s launch in Hartford, Connecticut. There were pink and white flowers everywhere, and somewhere there was a never-ending supply of more pink and white flowers in reach of stagehands replacing any that got shuffled away. Those flowers must be line item No. 1 on Olivia’s concert rider.
And from those pink and white flowers, and the chirping of birds and crickets, emerged the star of the show on date one of two at Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena — like, she got up from a field of wildflowers on the stage floor, where she set the show in motion with a whimsical “Drop Dead.” She bloomed in front of a sold-out arena in the middle of sleepy Connecticut on a Friday night, a room with an audience that leaned female but had enough men there to cover the goofy deep vocal part on “Expectations” and probably shed a tear or two to “Drivers License” like you will, too.
There were families of all kinds, with the kind of parent sitting behind you that teaches their children to pay attention to the opening act — a good decision to make here, where Wolf Alice did a fine job warming up the crowd. (Some of Liv’s favorites: “You’re a Germ” and “Bros. ” “If you haven’t listened to them, you should do a deep dive,” Rodrigo said during her set, after playing “Happy Birthday” to her mom on piano.)
The Unraveled Tour is a concert for all ages to enjoy — OK, yeah, there’s a “f—” or two — and because of Rodrigo’s influences, along with a stellar touring band, it’s got rock show vibes. There are beautiful, gut-wrenching piano-pop moments, like the inescapable “Drivers License,” but most of the you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love singer-songwriter’s slower-tempo tracks lean into rock ballad territory live on the Unraveled stage. And then there are anthems like “Expectations” and “All-American Bitch,” can’t-miss bits on a setlist that honestly has no misses.
With three albums’ worth of material to pull from, Rodrigo curated a 2026 setlist that hit all the marks.
As did she, on the first night of this big, sold-out tour, which by all accounts felt joyous and like it went off without a hitch. Besides her commitment to the floral motif, there was rain, snow and confetti falling from above, and a big screen to take in the details; Rodrigo really knows how to work the camera to make her performance and emotions feel up-close, even if you’re quite far from the stage.
Olivia Rodrigo perfroms during “The Unraveled Tour” with the first of 2 sold-out shows at People’s Bank Arena on September 25, 2026, in Hartford, Connecticut.
Christopher Polk/Billboard
With all of GUTS and SOUR to choose from, and just a two-hour show time, some songs had to be left out. From Rodrigo’s latest album, “What’s Wrong With Me” was sadly missing from the set, but it’s a fair omission since Robert Smith’s not on tour with her. Scroll through the 23 songs that did make up the complete Unraveled Tour setlist here — it’s full of hits and fan favorites.
Rodrigo roamed around a big, curved main stage in Hartford that made for great views from all angles for most of the night, but took the small, in-the-round B-stage for what would be the top performance (“The Cure,” rain-soaked and cathartic). She unexpectedly showed up on an even smaller stage for a lovely “Stupid Song,” a performance where she was surrounded by fans like a chorus. Three stage choices allowed general-admission ticketholders a fair shot at getting close to Rodrigo.
See five of the best moments from the opening night of her Unraveled Tour in Hartford below. Honorable mention to look out for at your concert date: the stunning transformation of “Cigarette Smoke” from slow-burning album closer to angsty mid-show rock therapy.
