Hard and Soft: The Duality of Billie Eilish’s Captivating Concert

By: Ava Noce'26

Photo courtesy of TD Garden

During Fall break, I was fortunate to attend Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft: the Tour in Boston, Massachusetts, at the TD Garden. The nine-time Grammy winner is currently on her world tour for her third album, which was released this past May. Eilish’s tour began on September 29th in Quebec, which was her eighth show in the North American leg. Her concert is set to continue into next year, during which she will also perform in Australia and Europe. The set has become increasingly more impressive in terms of the tone of the show and her broad discography, probably since this is her second official world tour. 

As a long-time huge fan of the singer, Eilish truly did not disappoint. She has repeatedly made it known that touring is one of her favorite aspects of being an artist in various interviews, stating it is how she feels the most connected to her fans. Rather than an end stage, the “Birds of A Feather” singer had an arena stage situated in the middle of the Garden, with one elevated B-stage on the side. Her stage filled most of the floor area with standing room surrounding all sides. Above the arena stage hung a small square platform that would rise and lower for her to stand in the middle of the Garden. Eilish’s main stage had two pits inside where her band members were positioned, making her even more visible from all angles. Utilizing every corner of the stage, she filled the space by actively acknowledging every audience section throughout the night. Other than her two backup singers, Ava and Jane Horner, whom she brought on stage for a few songs, Eilish was completely alone on stage most of the time. She danced, played electric and acoustic guitar, laid down, and even ran the entire perimeter of the stage while exhibiting her euphonious vocals. As an audience member, I felt that Eilish wanted each person to leave feeling satisfied and incorporated into the concert. 

Photo courtesy of Henry Hwu/ @henryhwu

The two-time Oscar winner was no stranger to visuals, and the performance was far from simple. She incorporated lasers and lighting effects that mimicked the intensity and down beats of the songs, even having flame machines in the pits with the band that would go off for high-energy songs such as "Happier than Ever" and "Bad Guy." Occasionally, Eilish directed a handheld camera that projected onto the jumbotron, displaying her unique point of view of the crowd. When she wasn't singing, she would talk to the crowd and acknowledge her love for Boston. The show was filled with many of her songs from all three albums and included some singles, even combining a few favorites together to add more songs to the setlist. Without spoiling the show if you plan on attending, I left feeling that I had heard all my favorites from across her career. 

Eilish also incorporated moments of tranquility and stillness into her performance. A memorable and TikTok famous moment from her show was when Eilish sang "When the Party's Over" from her debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? The vocalist sat crisscross in the center of her stage and asked the crowd to be silent. Utilizing a tracking system to loop her vocals together live, she hummed the beginning notes. The entire crowd was silent, to the point where you could hear the air machine in between her vocals. As the loop was solidified, she began to sing, "Don't you know I'm no good for you?" The crowd erupted and sang along with her. It was a memorable moment that showcased Billie's vocals, which fit the song perfectly.