Billie Eilish has been one of the world’s most elite pop stars since she exploded onto the music scene in 2015. Since then, she’s been honing her craft by releasing three studio albums, collaborating with a host of artists and touring the world playing for adoring fans.
This week, Billie landed in Australia to kick off a completely sold-out tour with Frontier Touring for her latest studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. As one of the biggest musicians in the world, it was no surprise that all 12 dates of her Aussie tour became sold out within minutes.
For Billie’s Sydney show, eager fans with general admission tickets were lining up outside of the Qudos Bank Area from 4am, desperate to land a coveted spot at the barricade.
In the past, Billie has been applauded for the holistic approach she takes towards stage shows because, ultimately, it’s not just about the music, it’s about the entire experience for the viewer. So, as I attended her latest performance in Sydney, I wanted to find out whether a Billie Eilish gig was truly worth the hype (especially in this cost-of-living crisis!).
Let me tell you — it absolutely was.
Don’t discount Miss AshNikko
Before the 23-year-old was due to perform, her support act, Ashnikko, took to the stage to warm up the crowd. To be completely honest, this was not an easy gig. The stage, unlike most in arenas like this, was a rectangle smack bang in the centre of the crowd.
Not only did Ashnikko have to work the 360 angles of the stage, but she also had to win over the dedicated jort-wearing Billie Eilish fans in the audience.
She kicked off performing solo on stage, but with every song she built the momentum by bringing on dancers, launching into choreography, upping the energy and inviting the crowd to do a call and response to her track “Cheerleader”.
For those who don’t know Ashnikko, her music is brash, bratty, sexy and takes no prisoners. After apologising to the dads in the audience, she kicked off with a new, soon-to-be club anthem “Itty Bitty Skirt” before finishing her set with her viral hit “Daisy”.
By the end of the set, her masterful stage presence had everyone eating in the palm of her hand.
It’s time!!!!
By 8:20, the audience was eager for the show to begin. Raucous applause filled the stadium as “CHIHIRO” blasted through the speakers in conjunction with a light-filled cube in the centre of the stage.
As the lights flickered, Billie was revealed to be on a platform in the centre of the light cube, sending the crowd absolutely berzerk. Once she was revealed, she launched into “Lunch”, using the unique space on the stage to sprint from one side to the other, ensuring that the crowd on every single side of the stage got the performance they deserved.
Miss Girl has a presence
Following the first few songs, Billie took a second to bask in the moment and soak up the deafening applause coming from the crowd. By the time she eventually addressed the audience (“How we doin’?”), the crowd was about to reach new levels of sound.
Throughout the performance, it was clear that Billie had complete and total control of the audience. Despite running from one side of the stage to the other, the cameras always caught her, broadcasting her (low-key flirty) looks to the audience.
Maybe it’s the result of her absolutely lethal face card, but it was hard not to be completely captivated by her presence or the way Billie toyed with the audience’s emotions. Or maybe that’s just my bisexual tendencies coming out. She’s hot, who knows?
Billie’s stage presence wasn’t the only thing keeping audiences transfixed. Every moment of the performance was accompanied by an immaculate yet simple stage design. From the lightbox in the centre, the platform which often raised Billie into the sky as she sang, to the lights and screens constantly changing the vibe from song to song, it was a complete experience.
That, combined with Billie’s ability to work the stage in an all-encompassing way, made for a mesmerising show that made everyone — even those high up in the stands — feel included.
Billie’s loop pedal
One of the most anticipated moments of this tour is when Billie uses a loop pedal to record different tracks of audio for her hit “When The Party’s Over” which she proceeds to sing on top of. The catch? She needs complete silence for 45 seconds to record the different vocal layers.
In typical crowd fashion, there were the occasional “I love you Billie!” cries heard from the audience.
In true Australian style, they were swiftly followed by screams of “shut the fuck up!!!!”. Thankfully, by the time she started looping, the crowd did indeed shut the fuck up, creating one of the most beautiful harmonies I’ve heard IRL.
In conclusion: Woah
After almost two hours on stage, Billie wrapped the gig with her hit “Birds Of A Feather”. As confetti exploded out of cannons across the stage, it was a dreamy, romantic end to a show filled with range.
When her last song ended, Billie ran around the stage high-fiving the many fans who had spent hours waiting outside the stadium to get front-stage seats. Then, on each side, she leaned into the crowd with her arms outstretched.
While everyone around her was almost in tears being so close to their presumed idol, what struck me was how much the physical connection with her fans seemed to mean to Billie too. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but she seemed to be close to tears too, and it was incredibly unexpected and touching.
If I had to pick a con for the night, it could be the chorus of fans singing along to every word of every song. However, as a lover of collective experiences, it just made the show feel that little bit more special.
Billie is one of the most versatile artists of our time, transitioning from upbeat bangers like her remix of Charli xcx‘s “Guess” and “Bad Guy” to acoustic moments performing her softer hits like “The Greatest” and “What Was I Made For”.
Somehow, she manages to shift emotions and vibes seamlessly and bring the audience along for the journey.
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