Olivia Rodrigo Breaks Down in Tears While Debuting Her New Song ‘Less Than’ at Brooklyn Surprise Show

Olivia Rodrigo could not hold back tears as she debuted her new song “less” — officially titled “Less Than” — during a live performance at a surprise underplay show, with footage of the emotional moment going viral overnight as fans shared their reactions across social media.

The 23-year-old pop star and three-time Grammy winner performed the track at an intimate concert at Brooklyn’s Warsaw, a venue with a capacity of just 1,100, as part of a series of small-scale shows supporting her newly released album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.” According to Variety’s review of the concert, the show was announced only hours before it took place, on a sweltering Thursday afternoon in New York City, sparking a scramble for tickets that were available only at the venue’s box office.

A packed, sweltering show

Fans lined up in extreme heat to secure entry, with temperatures reaching a real-feel of 105 degrees outside the venue, according to Variety. Despite the conditions, Warsaw was packed well before the scheduled 8 p.m. start time, with the heat proving just as intense inside the venue itself.

Rodrigo, dressed in a red flowered schoolgirl dress and black go-go boots, opened the set with the album’s lead single, “Drop Dead,” a vocally demanding track that offers few opportunities to catch a breath during its upper-register chorus, according to Variety’s account of the performance.

An emotional highlight of the set

After a run of newer material, Rodrigo moved to the keyboard for a stretch of ballads pulled from her earlier albums, including “Drivers License,” before returning to preview four additional songs from her latest record. That stretch included fan favorites “Maggots for Brains” and “The Cure” — the latter of which Rodrigo described as “probably” her favorite song on the new album, according to Variety — along with the emotionally charged live debut of “Less Than,” also referred to by fans simply as “less.”

The song deals with the end of a romantic relationship, recalling an attempt to recreate a favorite date before ultimately acknowledging the relationship’s collapse. According to lyrics documented by Just Jared, the track includes lines describing a trip to Big Sur that “only confirmed this isn’t what it should feel like,” building toward a chorus in which Rodrigo sings about the emotional toll of the relationship’s end, including the lyric, “If loving me means crying on the curb at LAX, well, then I guess I wish, I wish, I wish you loved me less.”

Rodrigo previously spoke about the song’s origins, explaining that it was added to the album later in the writing process as something of a creative exercise. “A song like ‘less’ was added, obviously, later in the album making process, and I think it was us trying to practice a little bit of restraint,” she explained, according to Just Jared’s earlier coverage of the track’s release.

Fans respond to the emotional moment

Video clips capturing Rodrigo visibly emotional while performing the song spread quickly online following the show, with fans expressing sympathy and support in the comments beneath the viral posts. According to Geo TV’s coverage of the reaction, fans wrote messages including, “i literally can’t handle it,” and “OH SHUT UP SHUT UP.” Others offered similar responses, with one fan writing, “damn what did they do to my girl i’m not doing well,” and another adding, “i get you, girl, I’m crying too listening to this.” A separate comment read, “guys I really need to give this woman a hug ffs.”

A high-energy set despite the emotional peak

Beyond the emotional performance of “Less Than,” Rodrigo maintained her typically energetic stage presence throughout the rest of the show, according to Variety’s review. She was described as bouncing, spinning, holding out her arms and pumping her fists while leading the audience through several singalong moments. The set ultimately closed with two of her earlier hits, “Good 4 U” and “Déjà Vu.”

Variety’s review noted that the newer material from the “Pretty Sad” album, while performed cleanly, is likely to loosen up further as Rodrigo continues performing the songs in additional live settings, a common pattern for newly released tracks still being worked into a touring set.

What’s next for Rodrigo

The Brooklyn show marked one of the first performances tied to Rodrigo’s newly released album. According to Variety, additional older songs are expected to be incorporated into her setlist as she prepares to begin more extensive touring, with her own Daisy Chain Fields festival in Southern California among the upcoming stops where fans can expect to hear more from the new record performed live.

Similar emotional reactions are expected to continue as Rodrigo brings songs like “Less Than” to larger stages in the coming months, given the intensity of fan response already generated by its live debut in the small, intimate setting of the Brooklyn show.