Hello readers!
I saw the Guts tour in Nashville with my 10 year old niece Lola & my sister Allison & all I can say is thank the lord I have a substack so I have an outlet to talk about this at length. The show was amazing. Olivia Rodrigo is, in my opinion, en route to being a true legend. I was very moved and had an absolute blast.
I came to Olivia’s music waaaaay after “Drivers License” broke every record known to music or man, which is typical behavior for me. I struggle to connect with something that’s currently centered in the public cultural discourse. I like to form intimate bonds with songs I love, tune into my own thoughts and feelings, etc etc. - I tend to wait until the chatter calms before I dive in myself. It wasn’t until I heard her song “Brutal” maybe a year after Sour came out that I stopped & thought “woah….”. The reference points for that song came across as meticulously intentional and extremely niche. The lyrics were funny & self-aware & melodramatic in a way that only an 18 year old could pull off. My inner/former 18 year old was screaming every word.
From there I connected deeply with the whole record and was delightfully obsessed with Guts from the moment it came out. I’ve had this thought I’ve shared before (despite Olivia’s own lyrics stating “When am I gonna stop being great for my age and just start being good?”), that I predict she’s just going to keep getting better and better, eventually making full-blown, culture-setting, world-stopping, the capital B Best music out there. Her first couple of records feel obviously so authentic and evocative, they remind me of Fiona Apple’s first couple of records in a way. I really think when Olivia is Fiona’s age now she’ll achieve a level of strength as a songwriter that few others have. I can’t wait to watch her career unfold and I’m just excited by the energy she brings to music in general.
The show was so unbelievably fun. Everyone screaming for a full hour and half, dancing and singing with my niece. It was just such an amazing and fun night. I’m grateful I found a moment to go. I’m devastated to miss the Breeders opening in NYC and LA. When they were announced as support I just felt another wave of “God, she is cool!”
That’s it for now!! Thank you for all the “365” love. I wrote earlier this week about that song and that post is archived if you missed it.
Oh yeah one last thing! Tigers Blood is out one week from today & I thought it might be a great time to let you know that if you’re in Chicago on release day (3/22!) I’ll be playing a show at the legendary Empty Bottle with my band! My dear friend Liam Kazar is opening, we’re going to play the entire new record as well as some old favorites. Tickets go on sale Monday!
Thank you for reading!
-KC
PS: Speaking of popular music, everywhere I went whilst in Nashville I heard “Texas Hold ‘Em” & it was truly amazing and so fun to sing along to. I even heard a band covering it in a bar on Broadway. At one point Lola spontaneously bursts into “Well this ain’t Texas…” acapella & from that point we all couldn’t stop singing it throughout our trip. I can’t wait for Cowboy Carter. As a longtime and devoted lover of Beyonce I just think the writing has been on the wall for this moment for a decade now & I’m so excited to hear the rest of the songs.
PPS: Same with Deeper Well. Musgraves is just outlandishly authentic to me & it’s refreshing to watch from the audience. I also have the Boy Smells candle burning as we speak. Unreal!!!