Olivia Rodrigo will bring her world tour to the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.
Photo by Lissy Elle
Pop star Olivia Rodrigo will steer her Sour world tour toward Irving for one show at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on May 14, 2022.
The critically acclaimed singer/songwriter will visit more than 40 cities on the world tour, starting with San Francisco on April 2. Other stops in Texas will include Houston on May 12 and Austin on May 13. Rodrigo will be joined by special guest Holly Humberstone on all Texas dates.
Rodrigo took the music world by storm in January 2021 when she released her debut single, the breakup song "Drivers License," which went on to go to No. 1 in 24 countries. She released her debut album, Sour, four months later to similar success. Her third single, "Good 4 U," also went to No. 1 around the world.
Rodrigo is already starting to rack up awards and nominations. She was named New Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, took home three prizes at the Apple Music Awards, and won three MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist.
She was just nominated for seven Grammys, including Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist. Just 18 years old, she's the second youngest artist in Grammy history to score nods in each of the Big Four categories in the same year.
Tickets for the Irving show are now on sale through December 7 for all Ticketmaster Verified Fans. The public ticket on-sale date is Friday, December 10.
Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.
Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.
After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.
Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.
Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.
Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.
It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.
While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.
