SAN FRANCISCO — All it took was a crack of a smile and a bite of the tongue to send the capacity crowd at Chase Center, primed to see pop star Olivia Rodrigo, into a frenzy. A sea of lavender, sparkles, blinking lights and cowboy hats greeted the young singer as she took the stage for the first of two sold-out nights in The City.

The shows mark Rodrigo’s first Bay Area appearances since a 2022 gig at Bill Graham Civic Center which, at this point, feels downright intimate for the star. It got even more so as opener PinkPantheress announced in the days leading up to the show that she’d be canceling all of her 2024 dates to focus on mental health. For her part, Rodrigo seemed happy to be here, at one point donning a shirt with “Bae Area” scrawled in purple and with pink hearts around it.

Rodrigo wasted no time getting the crowd engaged, opening with snarky hit “bad idea right?” The boisterous gathering, made up of mostly teenagers, sang the lyrics back at an equal and often louder volume than the headliner.

As much as it’s been argued that streaming has killed the enjoyment of an album as a complete work, Friday night’s show would offer evidence to the contrary. Fans sang along to all of the material, whether it was the hits or deeper cuts, adding an extra-screamed emphasis for lyrics that required it.

Touring in support of her sophomore effort, Guts, Rodrigo played just about all the songs from that album and most of her debut, Sour, over the roughly 100-minute set.

How a pop star handles their first big arena tour after blowing up is a test of staying power, and Olivia Rodrigo seemed to pass with flying (presumably lavender) colors. Her voice was dialed in, and along the way she adeptly juggled some choreography, played both acoustic and electric guitar and a piano.

“San Francisco, you’re making me blush,” she said early in the show, acknowledging how loud the crowd was singing back.

It was one of a handful of times Rodrigo spoke to how happy she was to be back in California, especially after spending the last two months on the road in Europe.

“Thank you for such a warm welcome here,” she said. “I love it here in San Francisco, and there’s no place like California.”

The early portion of the set was littered with stellar material, from the dark and moody “vampire” and “traitor,” to the more intimate balladry of “drivers license.”

“I wrote this next song right before my 19th birthday,” she said right before “Teenage Dream.” “I’m 21 now, and wish I could tell that girl how happy, loved and excited for the future she is.”

Despite the large butterfly-shaped stage with a massive projection screen and banks of lights stacked high, Olivia Rodrigo actually kept the performance fairly simple. The production never felt overdone, her band was tight and the choreography from the team of eight dancers was divine. Their performance had a distinct modern-artistic feel, but also left enough room for the star to join in as needed. She tore through tracks like “pretty isn’t pretty” and “love is embarrassing.”

Around the mid-point of the show, Rodrigo pulled off something that stood out: Twinkling stars lowered from the rafters around the arena and she took to the “sky,” riding in a crescent moon. She waved to attendees as she went along. At one point, she had each section compete to see which was louder—the upper deck won by a lot.

Returning to the stage, she asked best friends, as well as parents and children, and couples to embrace, before speaking about pride.

“We were watching the Olympics on TV backstage,” Rodrigo said. “At the end of the day, it’s one of those days you’re proud to be an American.”

Fittingly, she followed up with “So American.”

The momentum continued to build as she moved toward a stream of hits, starting with “favorite crime” and “deja vu.” Rodrigo’s band got its moment, playing a hard-rocking interlude in the lead-up to the insanely infectious and deadpan “brutal.”

There was no stopping Rodrigo as she powered through “obsessed” and “all-american bitch.” On the latter, she encouraged fans to take all their pent-up energy about “someone they hate” and to scream on the song’s bridge. It seemed to play well with the crowd as it was one of the loudest moments of the night.

After a brief break, Rodrigo reemerged in a white tank top that had “Bae Area” scrawled across. She performed heavy hitters “good 4 u” and “get him back!” The crowd reached a deafening noise as Rodrigo sang the last cut on a red megaphone. It’s easy to see why Rodrigo bridges Gen Z and Gen Alpha crowds. She’s a bit like a mirror, voicing their generational insecurities, worries, awkwardness and triumphs. She’s often considered an Avril-Lavigne-like figure to the next generation, which has merit to a point, but her music is rooted far more in alt-rock.

She’ll be right back at Chase Center for another sold-out show on Saturday.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald. Follow photographer Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe.