Billie Eilish
24th April 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Two years ago, Billie Eilish was touted as the future of pop. Now with her outstanding debut album tucked under her arm and the ability to sell out arenas within minutes, there is no question about it. She is the anti-pop princess in a world full of cookie cut-outs who peer out from Instagram frames; one who isn’t afraid to wield both the power of her youth and her insecurities like a double-edged sword. And last night thousands of screaming fans welcomed her like their personal messiah.
Her producer, brother, co-writer and more importantly best friend Finneas O’Connell opened the show solo armed with nothing more than a guitar and keyboard, songs such as ‘Claudia, ‘College’ and ‘Break My Heart Again’ shifting in the air on the back of his smooth vocals, traces of Eilish herself hanging in the notes, the siblings musical endeavours like DNA base pairs.
Animated images of spiders, decrepit hands and a small character being chased through a forest of ghoulish figures heralded the arrival of Billie Eilish herself, the fans almost hysterical screaming a rather appropriate soundtrack for the on-screen characters descent into madness. Dressed in black and white, an oversized hoodie and shorts her now recognisable look, Eilish bounded on to a stage that immediately oozed blood red; ‘Bad Guy’ one of her latest tracks from her debut album electrifying the audience as they screamed every word in time to the beat.
It’s not hard to see why Eilish has amassed such a following within such a short period of time; here is an artist that encompasses the ‘be yourself’ hashtag with both ferocity and vulnerability. Her songs, some fictional some based on her experiences – and never will she divulge which is which – give a voice to many of the topics that her fans deal with daily; unrequited love, peer pressure, depression, anxiety and toxic relationships to name but a few. Her set list twists and turns around them all, the haunting ‘Lovely’ giving way to the far more recalcitrant lyrics of ‘You Should See Me in a Crown’.
Social commentary plays out through songs such as ‘idontwannabeyouanymore’, her own personally curated image further reinforcing her thoughts on a society who values image before soul; while ‘Xanny’ speaks of pitfalls that have claimed both those famous and ordinary. Utilising the space around her – her only accompaniment on stage being two small podiums which house both Finneas and her long-time drummer Andrew Marshall – she runs, jumps and stomps through her more boisterous tracks before bringing forth an almost serene like calm as she sits on the edge to deliver her more poignant and quieter tracks.
Despite recent injuries incurred through her hectic schedule of both touring and filming as well as a lingering cold, Eilish gives it her all both vocally and physically, at one point her emotions almost overcoming her as she addresses the audience of how the entire evening is like a dream; Finneas stepping down off the podium to embrace her with a kiss to the top of her head. A calculated move or genuine moment? Maybe a little of both, Eilish far too intelligent not to play to her fans need to have their devotion acknowledged with more than just the standard thank you and I love you accolades. Indeed she understands her audience very well, where many artists of today ask for their audiences to be present in the moment by putting away their phones – some banning them altogether – Eilish acknowledges her fans need to film, to capture the moment, instead asking them to watch her and not the screen.
Rewarding her New Zealand followers with a live exclusive, Eilish and Finneas take a seat at the front of the stage for an acoustic version of ‘I Love You’, the melding of their harmonies one that spoke of their relationship and why musically it has propelled both of their careers into the limelight; ‘Ocean Eyes’ which followed close behind taking one and all back to where it all began just two short years ago.
Once again, the shadows crept in, the double header of ‘When the Party’s Over’ and ‘Bury a Friend’ closing the show and reminding everyone of Billie Eilishs’ need to make art from both people’s fears and a messed-up world where school shootings and Californian hill fires are the norm.
In the end, there is no encore – the crowds fevered demands for one instead met by a silent Eilish returning briefly to the stage to acknowledge them one last time. Regardless of where her career may take her over the next few years, Eilish is one of the rare few who has permanently etched her mark into society’s bristling flesh.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent dark-end pop gig? Or have you seen Billie Eilish perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Intro
- Bad Guy
- My Strange Addiction
- Lovely
- You Should See Me In A Crown
- idontwannabeyouanymore
- Watch / &Burn
- COPYCAT
- When I Was Older
- Wish You Were Gay
- Xanny
- All The Good Girls
- ilomilo
- Bellyache
- I Love You
- Ocean Eyes
- When The Party’s Over
- Bury A Friend
- Goodbye (Outro)
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