Top 10 Incredible Olivia Rodrigo Performances

She had released her album and made several television appearances, but the 2021 iHeartRadio Festival was touted as Olivia Rodrigo’s very first full set in front of a crowd of fans after the release of “Sour.” She opened the show with the album’s first track, “Brutal.” Storming the stage with boundless energy and pure excitement, she owns the moment. It feels like watching an artist arrive. As the audience sings along, you can actually see her react with joy. It’s not her best performance technically, but it’s both a reminder of how talented she was from the start of her career and how much she would improve.

Midway through her killer performance of “Vampire,” a series of mishaps saw Olivia Rodrigo ushered off stage and the entire auditorium thrown into darkness. But the wild pyrotechnics, falling stage lights, and malfunctioning set pieces were just part of the standard showmanship of the VMAs. The fake-out leads into the first notes of “Get Him Back!” which make the audience erupt in cheers. The singer is then joined onstage by a bunch of lookalike dancers and rockets through the singalong revenge anthem. It’s not her most intimate vocal performance, but it encapsulates what makes her such a vibrant stage presence.

Unable to tour due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Rodrigo and her team came up with a brilliant and appropriate solution. The livestream concert film “Sour Prom” featured songs from her first album played against the setting of a senior prom. Its standout number is easily “Traitor,” which shows the singer drifting through pairs of dancers, acting out the song’s deep hurt through a stylized dance number. With its stirring lyrics and poignant themes, “Traitor” is an ambitious song that showcases Olivia’s singing and acting range. Add some choreography into the mix, and we have a triple threat on our hands.

Performing live from an actual DMV, Olivia’s Tiny Desk Concert for NPR was a chance for fans to see her perform in a stripped-down, acoustic environment. She closed out the set with “Deja Vu,” a dreamy art-pop track with a lot of high notes. Introducing the song as a reflection on how relationships are all recycled, Olivia says she hopes we dig it. How could we not? Dressed in an oversized purple sweater and chunky boots, there’s a natural authenticity to her performance. She relays the song’s hyper specific lyrics to us like a born storyteller.

Her second album had only just come out that day, but some fans already seemed to know the lyrics to “Get Him Back!” by heart. Even Olivia appeared almost gleefully taken aback at points as she sang for an outdoor audience at “The Today Show” in September 2023. She and her band relished in the song’s playful digs and double meanings. Through it all, she had the crowd in the palm of her hand. One young fan was so transfixed by the performance, she couldn’t even be bothered by Hoda Kotb literally holding a microphone in her face.

When Carly Simon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, someone had the idea to have Olivia Rodrigo sing her most famous song. It takes a lot of courage and a whole lot of talent to make a revenge song from the 1970s sound current. “You’re So Vain” is a beloved and rarefied classic. Despite the fact that it sits pretty low in Olivia’s range at points, her take is fresh and fun without having to stray far from the original track at all. This isn’t glorified karaoke. This is a singer who respects the classics, but can’t help but bring herself to every track she sings. If anything, it’s a testament to how versatile and timeless a performer Olivia is becoming.

To bring Olivia’s breakout hit to the stage, the Grammys transformed into a fog-filled suburban street for this haunting performance. There’s even a whole car on stage. Olivia’s memorable rendition of the number at a literal DMV puts us in the right time and place, but the staging at the awards show really captures the whole feeling of the song. Singing her heart out for a room full of established pros, there’s no doubt she’s a star in the making here. Whether she’s giving a bare bones acoustic performance or a heavily-produced Grammy showcase, the talent, emotion, and youthful exuberance are all there.

Olivia Rodrigo’s May 2021 appearance on “Saturday Night Live” was quite early in her tenure as a solo pop artist. Careers have been born and died on the iconic “SNL” stage. She performed her first hit, “Drivers License” on the show, but “Good 4 U” was the real showstopper. Heavily inspired by 2000s pop-punk, the song gave her the chance to delight in the angrier side of her star persona. During the performance, it’s clear she’s new to this, but that’s what makes it so endearing. She has so much fun playing the girly rock star and the band behind her is in on the energy. Who didn’t smile when she ran over to hug her bassist and collaborator Dan Nigro when it was all over?

Olivia’s crystal clear and adaptable voice gives her a versatility capable of defying genre and style. That’s never been more useful than in this folksy, pop-punk hybrid song from her second album. This rehearsal footage highlights Rodrigo’s ability to swing from soft, friendly cooing to singing with a punchy, powerful gusto. Describing the duality of outward softness and inner rage that often defines the experience of being a woman in the spotlight, Olivia fittingly includes a screaming interlude. If anyone wondered if she would perform the track’s screams live, this performance should answer that question.

This live rendition of “Favorite Crime” was promoted as the debut performance of the song, and it presents nearly every component of her stardom. Pristine vocals, tight harmonies, emotional visual storytelling with hints of nostalgia, — it’s all there. Like something out of a classic teen movie or a core high school memory, Olivia and her backup singers perform the track about a love gone wrong on a rooftop. The camera drifts over the scene, giving it a dreamy quality. It feels like a tribute to every person who remembers how painful, beautiful, and important everything feels when you’re young.

What’s your favorite live Olivia Rodrigo performance? Let us know in the comments.