“I was really inspired by them – that’s why I wanted to have an all-girl band. It feels very feminine on stage, but we’re all playing power chords and screaming”: Olivia Rodrigo on how ’90s alt-rock and riot grrrl inspired her record-breaking GUTS tour

Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS tour has been unashamedly rock-driven in both essence and approach – with a full band, pop-rock-fueled setlist, and Rodrigo herself playing a custom Music Man St. Vincent across 95 shows to 1.4 million people – both complementing and at times, challenging, the typical arena-pop production and flair.

To mark her mammoth trek, Rodrigo just dropped the GUTS World Tour film on Netflix, shot during her set at Los Angeles' Intuit Dome this past August.

Speaking about her inspiration for this concert film – and, by extension, the entire tour – Rodrigo tells Rolling Stone, “I grew up loving rock music, but more specifically I love girl rock bands and riot grrrl bands. I loved Hole, Sleater-Kinney, L7, Babes in Toyland.

Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

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“I was really inspired by them, and I think that’s why I wanted to have an all-girl band up on stage. It feels very feminine on stage, but we’re all playing power chords and screaming. There’s something fun about that.”

The homage to the '90s even extended to her choice of support acts, with The Breeders joining her for 10 shows in New York and Los Angeles. “It was so cool. I grew up listening to them all the time, and the song Cannonball changed my life as a songwriter,” she recalls.

Olivia Rodrigo “Obsessed” (Guts World Tour Live from St. Louis MO 03-12-2024) - YouTube

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“I remember when someone was like, ‘Well, why don’t you ask them to open for you.’ I was really scared to ask, and so the fact that they even agreed and showed up and played these shows is just so cool to me. I’ll never forget it. And they’re so kind and wonderful and such brilliant musicians. I’m glad that people appreciated it as much as I did.”

In other recent Olivia Rodrigo news, Elvis Costello has revealed the reason why he never sued her team for interpolating one of his guitar riffs.