Olivia Rodrigo Plays the Philippines, Donates Earnings To Charity

It was a good idea.

Olivia Rodrigo, the 21-year-old super star, traveling the world for her sold out Guts Tour made a stop somewhere many artists skip right over: the Philippines.

But the half Filipina stayed true to her roots and give back to the nation where her paternal grandparents immigrated from.

"Been dreaming of this show for a whileeeee," the Grammy-winning performer wrote to her 38 million Instagram followers. "My first time in the Philippines and also my biggest venue ever!!!!!"

In many of the gigs for her Guts Tour she has performed in front of audiences around 20k-25k, but Philippine Arena is a monster at 55,000 capacity and she filled it up.

Another way she gave back was offering tickets to be sold for no more than $30. Plus she donated all the net proceeds to a local charity.

“I’m SO stoked that all the net ticket sales from last night could be donated to @jhpiego through my fund 4 good,” she added.

“I got to visit the organization while I was in Manila and was so impressed by the work they are doing providing healthcare to women and girls in the Philippines," she wrote about the nonprofit that services women with care to combat cervical cancer, HIV, malaria, and complications from childbirth, among other needs.

"It was the most special show and the most meaningful trip. to say I’m grateful doesn’t even cut it! Mahal kita,” she added, which means "I love you" in Tagalog.

"I’m so proud of my Filipino heritage, so being able to bring this experience to the Philippines means the world to me," she told Billboard afterwards.

And what an experience. Even those who were only able to get seats in the last row got a guitar pick and a sweet note.

Bachman Turner Overdrive never did that.

Very few touring acts have stopped by the giant arena in Santa Maria about an hour drive north from Manila.

Our records have shown in the last 10 years only a handful of huge artists have entertained crowds there: Blackpink, U2, Coldplay, Guns N' Roses, Katy Perry, Harry Styles, and the Hawaiian-born Filipino Bruno Mars.

Listen to that crowd crank it out

At issue is the average Filipino makes less than $10k a year. So doling out even $30 there is like someone who makes $40k somewhere else paying $120 for a ticket. It can be done, but you've got to be quite a draw to find 50k fans willing to give up that much.

Meanwhile the gross sales of a stadium of $30 tickets is $1.5 million, which seems like a lot but that might not cover all the expenses a giant touring act with all its semis of lights and sound can afford to break even. Thus a corporate sponsor needs to help. In Olivia's case she gave thanks to her tour sponsor, American Express, for helping her dream come true.

The 23-song set was both joyful and emotional with Rodrigo showing how overwhelmed she was feeling a few times.

The audience was energetic and loud, singing every word of every song from both her debut, Sour, and her newer album Guts.

The Guts World Tour has already had 89 shows so far but only a few remain on her schedule. Tickets are probably sold out for the last gigs, but it wouldn't hurt to check out her website to get on a waiting list.

The star has a few shows left this year in New Zealand and Australia. Next year she has already booked dates for Lollapalooza in Chile & Brazil, as well as some other festivals. Will she also headline Coachella next spring?

That, too, would be a good idea, right?

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Last updated: 12 Nov 2024, 15:17 Etc/UTC