It's been “The Greatest” year for Billie Eilish. At the start of 2024, her song "What Was I Made For?" from the Barbie film soundtrack won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and two Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. In May, she released her highly anticipated third studio album Hit Me Hard and Soft to rave reviews. Keeping the momentum going, Eilish joined the BRAT summer craze when she was featured on the remix of Charli XCX's "Guess." She also landed the coveted title of the most monthly listeners on Spotify. And in September, she embarked on the North American leg of the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR.
The leg ended with five sold-out shows in her hometown of Los Angeles at the Kia Forum. This is the first tour that Eilish does solo with a full band and without her brother and collaborator FINNEAS. FINNEAS stepped away from playing the electric guitar and drums as he’s been busy promoting his second studio album For Cryin' Out Loud! and preparing for his own solo tour. The LA shows have been a sibling reunion as FINNEAS had been making special guest appearances. The last show on Dec. 21 was extra special as FINNEAS was the opening performer. For 40 minutes, the singer-songwriter has the entire venue swooning over his soulful crooner like vocals. FINNEAS opened up the night with the song “Lotus Eater” and sang all the popular hits including “Family Feud” and “Let's Fall in Love for the Night.” Through the night he showed off his impressive versatility as an instrumentalist - switching from playing his guitar and piano with ease. His songs are heartfelt and relatable with catchy zingers that get your attention.
Although the Kia Forum is one of the bigger venues in Los Angeles, the venue felt small as the stage was set up in an in-the-round form that took up a majority of the floor space. In the middle of the stage her band resided, keeping a low but prominent profile. Eilish has always had one of the most dedicated fan bases so it was no surprise to hear that fans started lining up days (and even weeks) in advance for a chance to get barricade spots in the pit. Dressed in her signature baggy shirt and shorts ensemble, Eilish began her set with the Spirited Away inspired track “Chihiro.” I’ve seen Eilish a few times through the years and each time she keeps growing more confident as a performer. She’s not afraid to run around and get up-close and personal with her fans. She’s magnetic to watch as her music can get your adrenaline pumping or pull at your heartstrings. The stage was rigged with different laser lights that perfectly helped create a dramatic and exciting ambience that complimented the bass-heavy electronic sounds she’s known for.
Not everyone can successfully make their audience be in complete silence, but Billie Eilish can. Not a sound could be heard as everyone watched Eilish create a live vocal loop for “When the Party’s Over.” Her raw and powerful vocals had everyone in awe. Throughout the show, Eilish also utilized a rising platform to float above the stage - which made songs like “The Greatest” an even more thought provoking. She also had a b-stage on one side of the venue where she performed a few songs including the fan-favorite “Guess.” No, Charlie XCX did not make an appearance but we did have a video montage of her.
A highlight of the night was when Eilish herself picked up an acoustic guitar and sang “Your Power” with her backup singers. It was one of the most emotional performances as it’s one of her most vulnerable songs that contains references to Roe v. Wade. Another emotional moment was when FINNEAS appeared back on stage for a medley performance of “Lovely,” “Idontwannabeyouanymore,” “Bored” and “Ocean Eyes.” Eilish was beaming from ear to ear as she hugged her brother after their performance.
Since we are days away from Christmas, Eilish had been singing a different holiday song for her LA shows. For Saturday's performance, she surprised everyone with the sacred song “O Holy Night.” Cheers roared as Eilish explained her reason for picking the song, “I’m not really religious, I just love Christmas so much….. I also grew up in a choir, so that’s just my schtick.”
The night ended with a blast of confetti to the tune of “Birds of a Feather.” Although Eilish admitted to being tired at the beginning of the show, she gave it her all that night. Her whispery and raspy vocals shined bright. Her songs are hard to sing yet she does it with ease. She’s one of the best acts around.
For the entire tour run, Eilish partnered with Support+Feed and American Express to provide vital support for families and individuals across several cities on the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR, including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. This partnership will enable small businesses to provide over 30,000 delicious and nourishing meals to community members in need across these cities. Several of the businesses involved in this partnership are U.S. restaurants that offer reservations on Resy and are also among the restaurants American Express has supported through its Backing Small grant programs. Support+Feed was founded in 2020 by Billie Eilish and Finneas’ mom Maggie Baird. Support+Feed is committed to mitigating climate change and increasing food security by driving global demand, acceptance, and accessibility of plant-based food. Eilish also continued her long-standing partnership with environmental nonprofit REVERB on this tour, building on the success of previous efforts, which resulted in over $1 million donated to environmental, greenhouse gas reduction, and climate justice projects, more than 150,000 fan actions, and much more. Sustainability efforts on this tour will include reducing greenhouse gas pollution, decreasing single-use plastic waste, supporting climate action, and updating concession offerings to promote and encourage plant-based food options with Support+Feed.
For more on Billie Eilish, visit store.billieeilish.com
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation Entertainment. Courtesy of High Rise PR
Setlist:
Chihiro
Lunch
NDA
Therefore I Am
Wildflower
When the Party’s Over
The Diner
Ilomilo
Bad Guy
The Greatest
Your Power
Skinny
TV
Bury a Friend
Oxytocin
Guess
Everything I Wanted
Lovely/Idontwannabeyouanymore/Bored/Ocean Eyes
O Holy Night
L’amour De Ma Vie
What Was I Made For?
Happier Than Ever
Birds of a Feather
