Olivia Rodrigo electrifies in first Atlanta concert

Even if Rodrigo’s name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, you’re sure to recognize her chart-topping viral hit “Driver’s License,” Rodrigo’s debut single that was released in the first week of 2021 and catapulted her to immediate stardom. “Sour” was released a few months later, featuring more hits: “Deja Vu” and “Good 4 U,” another chart-topper. She’s now over 20 shows into the international Sour Tour, which kicked off last month.

Over an intimate one-hour set with a four-member band, Rodrigo’s ballads were transformed into communal singalongs with fresh arrangements. “Jealousy, Jealousy” became a hard rock banger, and additional drums and guitar production gave new life to songs like “Hope Ur OK” and “Happier,” which have light vocals and restrained production on the album.

She played every song off “Sour” plus covers of “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne and No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” — another sign of her rock influences. (“I just think she’s the coolest,” Rodrigo said of Lavigne.) For those who know Rodrigo from the Disney+ show “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” she also treated fans to a rendition of “All I Want,” a song she wrote for the show.

Though she’s a young and relatively new artist, Rodrigo has years of performing experience; that comfort on-stage was on display as she interacted with the crowd, at one point putting on a pink cowboy hat that was handed to her and taking a selfie video on a fan’s phone before throwing it back into the audience during “Deja Vu.”

Much of Rodrigo’s fanbase is made up of young women around her age who relate to her ability to tap into feelings of teen angst and romantic anguish. While the crowd at the Roxy was made up mostly of young women, many had parents with them in the crowd, though more adults were mingling in the lobby or at the bar. (I also spotted at least five people who were FaceTiming friends during the concert.)

Before almost every song, Rodrigo spoke about her inspiration for writing it, which in many cases circled back to heartbreak or thinking you’re not enough for a partner. Not all of the show was high-powered rock: Rodrigo performed a few songs standing alone on stage with just a microphone and guitar.

“Driver’s License,” which Rodrigo performed at a shimmering piano under a disco ball, felt slightly out of place at third on the setlist, when contrasted with the high-energy opening that featured the brash, pop-punk “Brutal” and “Jealousy, Jealousy.” The power ballad that launched Rodrigo’s pop career may have resonated more closer to the end of her set, or after a slower part in the show.

The great catharsis was “Good 4 U,” the show’s closer and a rousing pop-rock song inspired by the instrumentation of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. As thousands of fans screamed every lyric in a live setting for the first time, it was clear that if Rodrigo’s momentum keeps up, the next time she returns to Atlanta, it’ll be at a much bigger venue.