- I wasn't able to get tickets for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour at first.
- I didn't want my daughter to miss out on the show, so I bought resale tickets for $1,200.
When Olivia Rodrigo announced her Guts World Tour in support of her sophomore album, my body tensed.
"Here we go again," I thought. My daughter, 13, loves Rodrigo almost as much as she loves Taylor Swift.
Having tried, and failed, to get tickets through Ticketmaster for Swift's Eras Tour, I swore to do better.
Ultimately, I failed and ended up shelling out over $1,000 for two tickets to the tour. But I don't have any regrets.
I was determined to bring my daughter to the Guts World Tour
When Rodrigo announced the Guts World Tour, I did everything I could to prepare.
I recruited relatives to sign up their email for the Ticketmaster presale lottery so we'd have more chances to buy tickets. I even opened a credit card in hopes of getting access to the American Express presale.
When Rodrigo announced she was releasing $20 tickets in select cities, we once again rallied the troops to sign up for a chance to buy them.
We tried to get tickets to the show in our city, Washington, DC, and anywhere within reasonable driving distance, too.
We walked away defeated. Eventually, I realized Rodrigo would be performing in St. Paul, Minnesota, during our family trip there in March.
But resale prices were high — two tickets with an unobstructed view were going to cost over $1,000. I put off making a decision.
The night of Rodrigo's first show, my daughter wondered aloud which songs would be on the setlist and what types of outfits the singer might wear.
My heart grew watching her excitement, and it quickly sank thinking she might miss out on seeing Rodrigio live. I worried ticket prices would climb even higher with the tour starting.
I panicked. Before Rodrigo's set ended, I'd purchased two tickets in the 110 section from resale marketplace TickPick for a whopping $1,200 after fees.
I felt incredibly fortunate that I could do this for my daughter, but still wondered if these tickets were a good use of money.
"It's a bad idea, right?" I told my daughter, quoting one of Rodrigo's songs. She assured me it was the best idea ever.
We had an amazing time, and I don't regret a thing
Once I had tickets, my daughter and I went all in, recapturing some of the magic we had preparing for Swift's Eras Tour.
My daughter carefully chose her outfit, working in several references to Rodrigo's songs, with ribbons in her hair and a homemade shirt. She even made me a matching one, even though we hadn't had matching outfits since she was a toddler.
She made me a friendship bracelet in Rodrigo's signature color, purple. I haven't taken it off yet.
When the concert started, my daughter was beside herself with joy.
As Rodrigo started her performance, my daughter's phone was fixed on the stage, but I was fixated on her. There's nothing better than watching one of my children experience happiness the way she did hearing Rodrigo sing live for the first time.
My daughter sang along to every single song. And, really, the show was incredible.
It was hard to look away as Rodrigo floated above the audience on a moon surrounded by stars. The 21-year-old singer acted like the rock star she is while also pausing to wave to fans.
I'm looking forward to going to more concerts with my daughter, but hopefully at more reasonable prices.