Girls to the Front: Olivia Rodrigo’s Fans Show Up in Force

Olivia Rodrigo shot to pop stardom pretty much overnight: Her first single, “Drivers License,” rocketed to No. 1 in January 2021 while most of the world was still in coronavirus lockdown, making her the youngest artist to debut atop Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In April of the following year, she finally brought her songs to life onstage with her punky Sour Tour, which played theaters, though she could have easily sold out arenas. Now she has done just that: Her tour supporting her second album, the cathartic, rock-oriented LP “Guts,” kicked off last Friday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., with a performance “advertising the power of girlhood,” The Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica wrote in his review. The venue, and its parking lot, was filled with young women ready to receive the message.