Billie Eilish live in New York City! // HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: The Tour Madison Square Garden Night 2
Seeing Billie Eilish perform live for the first time on the second night of her HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Tour in New York City was such an unforgettable experience! I have been lucky enough to have seen so many of my favorite artists live over the years, but this was truly the greatest show I have ever been to. Billie is a once in a lifetime talent and it was so surreal to get to see her on this incredible tour.
Hearing Billie's music for the first time in 2017, right when her first EP don't smile at me was released, was one of the most formative musical experiences of my life. All of her music has come to mean so much to me during that time and has been such a massive source of inspiration for me throughout those past seven years. She is truly the voice of our generation, and it is such an honor to be able to witness her talents in person for the first time. She has the most gorgeous live vocals and is such a captivating performer.
The entire setlist was so perfect, in addition to her new music she performed all of her hits as well as several deeper cuts, collaborations and everything in between. She performed almost every song off of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, with the exception of "BITTERSUITE" and "BLUE", which were played as interludes. Every single song on the album is pure perfection and getting to hear them all live in that setting was so surreal. Even though HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was only released a few months ago, it very quickly not only became my favorite album Billie ever made, but one of my favorite albums by any artist ever. It is such a masterpiece from beginning to end and I continue to love it more and more every time I listen to it.
Nothing else compares to her incredible stage production and visuals of this tour. It is the most stunning and immersive live music experience I've ever seen. She performs in the round for the first time in her career, with a giant rectangular stage taking up the majority of the arena floor. The stage is so massive, everyone has a perfect view no matter where they are seated in the arena. Madison Square Garden is also the best venue in the world and every show I have ever gotten to see there is just so magical every time. Billie also performs for the first time with a full backing band, which sounded incredible and only further elevated how amazing every single song was.
The openers for the show were the incredible Nat & Alex Wolff. I have been a fan of them for so long and was so excited when they were announced to be touring with Billie. I've known them since around 2007 when they were kids starring in The Naked Brothers Band on Nickelodeon, but since then they have grown into really amazing musicians and actors in their own right. You may know Nat Wolff from films like The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, Death Note, or even Billie's music video for "CHIHIRO" - among others. His brother, Alex, is known for his roles in Hereditary, Old, and A Quiet Place: Day One, to name a few.
Their music seems to be lesser known than a lot of their acclaimed acting work, but they are truly the best openers I have ever seen at any show I've been to. They are both very talented multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, with such an unreal stage presence. After taking a few years off from music, they came out with a beautiful album called Table For Two last year, as well as a few new singles in 2024 leading up to this tour. Billie also produced their latest single "Soft Kissing Hour", which was released about a week before the show, so it was very exciting to be among the first to hear it live! I also loved their other new song, "Backup Plan" and the several songs they performed from their latest full-length album. Somehow they were able to make Madison Square Garden feel like a small and intimate venue, it was really such a beautiful performance.
They ended their set with "All My Plans (Shake)", which is a song they wrote about a decade ago when their dad was diagnosed with cancer and told he may not make it through the night. They said that it was cathartic for them to sing the song now that their dad beat cancer and was there in the audience that night. It was such a beautiful moment and such a special way to end their hometown show at the legendary venue. Their energy was so amazing during that song, Nat was running laps around the stage and even jumped off the stage and ran around the perimeter of the crowd. I would love to see a full headline Nat & Alex show one day and can't wait to hear more new music from them soon!
Then it was time for Billie! The opening song of the night was one of my favorites ever, "CHIHIRO", which was just as magical and transcending as I always imagined it would be to hear live. When I heard HIT ME HARD AND SOFT for the first time, I knew I would be forever changed by that song and I have been completely obsessed with it ever since. From her stunning vocals to the way the intensity of the music keeps building and building until the end - it is truly one of the most incredible songs I think I've ever heard in my life.
She entered through a semi-transparent box in the middle of the stage that would flash between the visuals on the screen and Billie inside it. I cannot even put into words how electrifying the entire show was, the energy in New York City is like no other and so amazing every single time. I loooooved when she sang "Did you take my love away....from who!?" and the entire crowd screamed the refrain. There are countless highlights from this show, but "CHIHIRO" was one of the favorite live moments ever.
The second song of the night was another favorite, "LUNCH", which was also just as much fun to hear live as I imagined it would be. There was truly the most insanely joyful energy in that room, nothing compares to it! The ground was trembling from everyone dancing and jumping the entire time too! That has happened at a couple of other concerts I've been to at MSG and it is always the most amazing feeling.
I'm probably going to say this many more times throughout this post, but Billie has the greatest stage presence out of every artist I have ever seen live. She has the most amazing energy and such a command over the crowd in a way I have never seen before. She was also literally running laps around the massive stage while singing all night too, especially during this song. The production of "LUNCH" is just so incredible too, hearing it with a full live band just made me love it even more. Billie is truly a once-in-a-lifetime talent and it was so surreal to get to see her on this tour in support of her best album yet.
Also, not enough can be said about how stunning the visuals of this show are and "LUNCH" was one of the biggest highlights. All of Billie's music creates this very distinct sonic atmosphere and I loved getting to see that translated into a live setting in such a way. The stage itself is a screen and was flashing primary colors throughout the song and live visuals of Billie projected onto it in the style of the "LUNCH" music video. She and her creative team always find a way to bring her music to life in a way like no other. The camera work was so well done, it made the entire show feel so much more immersive no matter where you were in the arena. I hope one day she releases a tour film because the cinematography that was live on the screens was so stunning in real-time, I can only imagine how that would translate into a full-length project one day.
Two of my favorite songs from Happier Than Ever were also played early on in the show, "NDA" and "Therefore I Am". I love both of those songs so much and hearing them back-to-back was such a transcending experience and some of the best moments of the night. There were even flames bursting out of the stage during "Therefore I Am" too, which only elevated the performance even more!
"Wildflower" was so stunning live, there really aren't words for how much I love that song. Her vocals were so unreal as she sang it too, she somehow sounds even better than the studio version. Especially when she sings "Did I cross the line?" - it was insane. She continues to push her vocals to new heights and sounds absolutely incredible. It is one of the best songs off her latest album and such a highlight of her discography thus far. The entire crowd looked so beautiful lit up all over too and I loved hearing everyone harmonize with her for the final part of the song.
"when the party's over" was one of the most beautiful moments of the entire night. Before the song started, she explained that everyone had to be silent for about 30 seconds while she recorded the live loop of her vocals underneath the track. This is a similar vocal layering process to what she does in the studio when recording vocals, but now brought to the stage. It sounded so stunning and I have chills even just thinking back to it. You could hear a pin drop in those moments, I never seen or heard anything else like it. For one woman to be sitting/laying completely alone in the middle of a massive stage and be able to have such command over twenty thousand people at once was so surreal to witness.
She is truly one of the greatest entertainers I have ever seen and it's in those moments that completely solidify the fact that she is one of the coolest people in the world. "when the party's over" is one of the most gorgeous and ethereal songs ever written and I will forever think back to this night every time I listen to it from now on!
Songs like "THE DINER" and "bury a friend" have such a distinct nightmarish quality to them and I loved to see the way those elements were translated into a live setting too. "bury a friend" is such an important song in her discography, one that completely shaped so much of the sound and theming of her debut album. It is such a classic! "THE DINER" in particular is such an underrated song on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, it's one of my favorites and such a highlight of the night for me.
From the moment I first hear "ilomilo" five years ago, it has always been one of my favorite songs by Billie. To this day, it is still one of my very favorites from WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP and one I can never seem to get enough of. That song in particular feels very connected to a lot of the themes surrounding HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, so it was really perfect to include it on the setlist.
Of course, "bad guy" was just as amazing and electrifying to hear live as I always hoped it would be too! I mean, do I even need to explain? That song really changed it all for Billie, it was an instant classic and truly shifted everything in the music industry from that point forward. It was so much fun and I have been wanting to hear that song live for five years and it was everything and more! Once again, the ground was shaking so much like an earthquake during this song, plus screaming the iconic "DUH!" with an arena full of people was so amazing.
"THE GREATEST" is absolutely the climax of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT and was the same for the show too. Billie sang it as she was laying on a platform that levitated above the stage. All of the pent-up emotions and anger that make up a lot of the first part of the album comes through as she almost screams the words, "I loved you and I still do, just wanted passion from you, just wanted what I gave you, I waited and waited", That high note when she sings "I waited and waited," is breathtaking, she sounded so incredible. As I mentioned with "WILDFLOWER", she continues to outdo herself and push her vocals to new heights. I've said it before, but she is truly one of the greatest vocalists I have ever seen - she sounds so amazing live.
At the midpoint of the show, Billie brought her two childhood friends and backup singers, Ava and Jane Horner, to perform three gorgeous songs together. The first of the three was one of my all-time favorites, "Male Fantasy", which was the final track on her sophomore album Happier Than Ever. The three of them performed a beautiful acoustic rendition of it live. I was so happy to hear that was on the setlist for this tour, it is one of my favorite songs she has ever written and beautifully closes out that album.
She followed it with the opening song of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, titled "SKINNY". Both of those songs feel very connected to me and I loved hearing them back-to-back. One of my favorite lyrics she ever wrote is in this song too, "People say I look happy just because I got skinny, but the old me is still me and maybe the real me and I think she's pretty".
"TV" is the third song they played during this part of the show, which I absolutely love and am so happy Billie included it on the setlist. It is from a two song EP she released in 2022 called Guitar Songs. Those are two of the most emotional and heartbreaking songs she has ever written and seemingly are kind of deeper cuts in her discography. There was a moment during "TV" that I will never forget and have honestly been thinking about ever since. There is a lyric in that goes, "The internets gone wild watching movie stars on trial, while they're overturning Roe v. Wade" - that line is so poignant and representative of the current state this country is in right now. "TV" was written in 2022, and has (unfortunately) only continued to become more and more relevant in the years to follow, especially at this point in time. The crowd was so loud singing along to every single word the entire night, but when she sang the Roe v Wade lyric, it was another level. It was the loudest part of the entire show. Being surrounded by thousands of other women that are now just screaming to be heard was heartbreaking and deeply moving at the same time. There was something so empowering about that moment that I will never forget. It also serves as a reminder for me that we're all in this together, it put so much into perspective for me in that way. That happens at every single show too, every video I watch of that powerful moment gives me chills.
Not enough can be said about the amazing ways Billie uses her voice and influence to be a real role model for her audience. Not many others in her position are. It's really inspiring to see the work she does and the community she built around her art. I'll always admire her for that. It's the art and the artists that are going to outlive all of the evil and hate in this world. For those reasons, this was such a special moment to be a part of. Her music also always has a way of being very current, but also very ahead of it's time in a lot of ways too. As time goes on, more and more of her songs tend to transcend the original meaning of which it was written and continue to have such a massive impact on culture with each passing year. Billie is just such an incredibly special artist that I am so lucky to be alive at the same time as to witness.
"Oxytocin" is also sooooo much fun live, it was another major highlight of the night. It's grown to become one of my favorite songs from Happier Than Ever over the past year or so and it was even better live! I loooved the part where everyone got down low and jumped back up at the same time, that was one of the many times that night where the ground was literally shaking like there was an earthquake! It was so much fun, I loved that part of the show so much.
The energy didn't slow down there though! After the wild "Oxytocin" was over, the stage went dark and transitioned into Charli xcx on the screens saying her iconic line "Hey Billie, you there?". The first verse of the "Guess" music video then played on the screen as the arena was illuminated by neon brat green strobe lights everywhere. The crowd went so crazy for the first verse of "Guess" as if Charli herself was actually there, the energy in the room that night was just the most insane thing to experience live.
When it came time for Billie's verse, she popped out of a small B stage like a toaster at the other end of the arena when Charli sang the "eat it up for lunch, yeah it's so delicious" lyric. There were so many parts of the show that I loved so so so much, but that was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the night. The energy in the room was so electric, I will never forget it! The instrumental break after Billie's verse was the best too. Let me tell you, brat summer was alive and well that night at Madison Square Garden!
Billie also performed "everything i wanted" on the B stage too, which is one of my favorite songs she ever made and was such a special part of the show. To me, this song is one that has completely transcended the original meaning of which it was written and has become a symbol for what Billie's music has come to mean for a lot of people, including myself, and the community that surrounds that art. As she sang it, Billie walked through the audience and right up to the barricade of the crowd surrounding the stage. She also had a handheld camera that she filmed the crowd with that was shown on the screens, it was another interactive element that I loved to see incorporated throughout the entire show. It was such a beautiful representation of what I think this song has grown to mean for those who have found a connection within her music.
Once she got back to the main stage, Billie performed a medley of three of her early songs on keyboard. I first discovered Billie's music right around the time all of these songs were released, and I have only grown to love them even more with each passing year. She performed the first verse of "lovely", which is such a stunning song and truly one of the best collaborations she has ever done.
An unexpected song that I absolutely loved getting to hear live was "idontwannabeyouanymore" from her first EP don't smile at me. I vividly remember the first time I heard that song when it in 2017, I didn't know anything about Billie at all then, but immediately fell in love with her sound and the few songs she had out at the time. She was so ahead of her time and had such a fresh approach to music that was unlike anything I ever heard before, which is something that remains true about her music to this day. I love that she still performs her early work alongside her newer music, a lot of artists don't do that and it's really special that she still does.
Of course, we can't talk about her early career without going all the way back to the beginning with "ocean eyes", her first song ever. That song will probably remain on the setlist of every tour she will ever do until the end of time, it is such a classic and truly where it all started. The imagery of the ocean waves washing over the stage were so gorgeous and really brought this song to life.
"L'AMOUR DE MA VIE" is such a shining moment of her latest album and was even better live. I always love her delivery of the lyric, "You said you'd never fall in love again because of me, then you moved on immediately...bum, bum, bum". It takes a really cool turn halfway through from a simple jazzy ballad into a wild electronic dance song called "OVER NOW". I was so happy to hear her specifically play the extended version of "OVER NOW" because it was simply made to be performed live! I love the remix of it so much and how she holds nothing back in it.
As the end of the show was approaching, she thanked everyone for coming and thanked her band, crew, parents and then she said something like, "There's someone I'm leaving out because he's here tonight!" and her brother Finneas came up on stage! This is the very first time she ever went on tour without Finneas, as he was busy with promoting his new album For Crying Out Loud! (which is amazing too btw), but said he was going to be making appearances at select dates on the tour. I had my fingers crossed the New York dates would be on that list, and I'm so happy it was! I have been a massive fan of Finneas for as long as I have been of Billie and seeing them perform together for the first time was so surreal.
They played the three final songs of the night together, the first of which is the stunning "What Was I Made For?". I can't help but tear up every time I hear it. It is such a heart-wrenching and emotional song, with perfect placement in Barbie. When my mom and I first saw the movie, every single person in the theater was crying as this song played. There is nothing else like it, it was so special to be a part of that moment. This song serves as a celebration of womanhood in every facet.
Finneas played piano for the song in the middle of the stage, as Billie sat right at the edge of the stage holding hands with people in the crowd. It was so so beautiful and a moment I will never forget. They're the best ever.
Another amazing moment was when she sang the lines, "Made all my moments your own, JUST FUCKIN LEAVE ME ALOOOOOOONEEEEE!". Then she and Finneas walked around the stage shredding their guitars as flames ignited all over. They're the best ever and truly the most amazing, dynamic performers. It was such a powerful and electrifying moment to close out the show!
Billie Eilish truly is the greatest and it was such a dream come true to finally get to see her perform live! This night is one that I will look back on with the most amazing memories forever. I will never forget the pure joy and love in Madison Square Garden that night. I love her music so much and have been deeply inspired by it for many years, so getting to see the way that translated in a live setting was a surreal experience.
Thanks for reading! I have written extensively about Billie's music in the past, I would love for you to check some of them out here! Check out my full review of her latest album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, as well as her other two amazing albums; Happier Than Ever and WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Many more are linked below and coming soon!
All photos are my own!
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