From the pop-punk anguish of “good 4 u” to her impeccable 2000s-inspired fashion, it’s pretty obvious that Olivia Rodrigo would look up to Avril Lavigne. At the kick-off of her “Sour World Tour” in Portland on Tuesday night, pop’s new patron saint of teen angst properly honored her forebear by performing a cover of the latter’s debut single “Complicated.”
Despite not even being born yet when Lavigne released her debut album Let Go, Rodrigo did the 2002 hit justice, even donning a tank top with baggy pants that would make teen Avril proud. “This next song is a song I really love by the pop-punk princess herself,” Rodrigo said before climbing on top of the stage’s grand piano — just as any misfit would.
Rodrigo and Lavigne have met in person on a few occasions: Before hanging out at this year’s Grammys together, Lavigne presented the “drivers license” singer with the Female Artist of the Year honor at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Last December, Lavigne also handed Rodrigo the trophy for Variety’s Songwriter of the Year Award. It’s safe to say the admiration is probably mutual in this budding friendship.
A few songs later in the set, Rodrigo went even further back in time with a rendition of “Seether,” the 1994 anthem by power-pop icons Veruca Salt. The bratty, lite-grunge sounds suit Rodrigo remarkably well; may we suggest a cover of Liz Phair or The Cardigans next? Watch some fan-captured footage of Rodrigo playing “Complicated” and “Seether” below.
This past weekend, Rodrigo won Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album for her debut album SOUR at the Grammys, where she also performed “drivers license.” She will be touring North America and Europe all the way through July. Tickets are available now via Ticketmaster.
If you can’t make it to a live show, you can also watch OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) on Disney+, in which Rodrigo performs new arrangements of all 11 songs on SOUR. Meanwhile, Lavigne will join Machine Gun Kelly on a few dates of his “Mainstream Sellout” tour this summer, promoting her new album Love Sux; grab tickets for those shows here.
We’ve been belting out #brutal and #good4u in the car nonstop for the past year. This made our day, @oliviarodrigo 💕🧡💛 #seether #OliviaRodrigo #verucasalt #sourtour #SOURTourPortland pic.twitter.com/dtj7s1xEB7
— Veruca Salt (@verucasalt) April 6, 2022
