“It’s not very heard of. It was the coolest thing ever”: Olivia Rodrigo put her entire Guts touring crew into therapy

One too many pre-curtain tantrums? A crew unable to get her bath water just right? Or a PA unable to pick out ALL of the brown M&Ms from her backstage bowl? Either way Olivia Rodrigo reckoned that during the year-plus-long Guts World Tour her tour crew needed to check into therapy.

The news of Rodrigo’s next-level support comes courtesy of her rhythm and acoustic guitarist on the tour Daisy Spencer who spilled the beans to Chris Simpson during an appearance on The Stage Left Podcast.

Simpson regularly tackles issues surrounding the pressures faced by those working in the music industry, mentoring behind the scenes and having previously interviewed the likes of The 1975 and Kate Nash on his show.

Blame the stresses of keeping a multi-million dollar enterprise skimming carefully across the globe, or the importance that each key member be operating at 100% accuracy and efficiency.

Or – perhaps more accurately – blame the fact that Rodrigo is a nice person who only wants the best for those closest to her, but it’s safe to say that she went that extra mile, and all other giant tour operators will be taking notes and perhaps following suit.

Rodrigo’s Guts tour kicked off in the States on February 23 2024, taking in 104 dates across the globe before its conclusion on July 1 in Manchester UK.

In that time it’s estimated to have grossed an impressive $196 million, playing a vital part in placing Rodrigo into the A-league (she headlined the final night of Glastonbury in June complete with a surprise appearance from The Cure’s Robert Smith) while serving as a vital launch pad for up-and-coming support acts such as Chappell Roan, Remi Wolf and PinkPantheress.

"You really have got to take care of your vessel"

“Everyone is like, ‘it must be sex drugs and rock n roll’, and it is a fun job, but there is so much checking yourself,” Simpson explained. “It's easy to get lost in the sauce, if you will. I really made big changes at the beginning of the Guts tour because I understood how really taxing this is on your body and your mind, and if you want to do this to the best of your ability you really have got to take care of your vessel and everything.

“I’m almost a year into no alcohol and that has been a huge game changer and I really value working out. I’ve been really working to put my body first and that means put my mind first… I have never had anything like that, and that reignited the importance of therapy to me because I had just kind of fallen off for so long.”

“Suddenly I had this free resource of incredible therapists, and I utilised the crap out of that. I was going, you know, once a week, once every other week, whenever I could. And it was even during the off time, we also still had access to this resource.”

“Olivia was literally the dreamiest boss of all time… So that was one of the coolest things that has ever happened on tour. It’s not very heard of. It was the coolest thing ever.”

The revelation comes hot on the heels of a changing landscape for an industry famous for leaving its footsoldiers high and dry both pre- and post-success. With big and up and coming acts cancelling tours due to pressure and artists such as Chappell Roan campaigning for the music industry to do more, it’s clear that big names – whether it be to simply ensure that their band are on point or just to spread a little love – are now taking the time to take notice.