When Rodrigo got to Vampire, her third song of the night on Tuesday, the whole stadium was knee-deep in their feelings, screaming their lungs out to her lead single from Guts about being taken advantage of, lied to, and ultimately used by a lover. I imagine it was sheer catharsis for anyone nursing a recent heartbreak, with a whole stadium full of people seemingly in the same boat.
Even within the realm of heartache and histrionics, Rodrigo finds a way to showcase her range – vocally, emotionally and even theatrically.
Switching up the tempo several songs later with the more upbeat Love Is Embarrassing, in which she turns to self-deprecation by deriding herself for being attracted to her crush, her confidence and self-assuredness on stage far belied her young age.
Judging by her mini soliloquy before beginning Teenage Dream too, you wouldn’t be able to tell she was just 21. Having written the song a few days before her 19th birthday, she opined that if she could give her 18-year-old self any advice, she’d want her to know that she has no idea how many “magical things” were around the corner for her.
I only developed the same gratitude for life’s ups and downs a decade later than she did, so I knew from once being a teenage girl that her words were like gospel to fans around me. And I found myself wishing they realised how lucky they were to have someone they idolise remind them of life’s core truth: It works itself out.
