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Billie Eilish has once again proven herself to be “THE GREATEST.”
The 22-year-old artist kicked off the first night of her sold-out, three-show MSG residency as part of her ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ tour in a simultaneously electric and acoustic fashion. And let’s just say she titled the album and tour perfectly.
Over 22 songs, Eilish took the crowd — and me — on an emotional rollercoaster. It was my first time at a Billie concert, and as a longtime super fan, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the days I dramatically blasted “Ocean Eyes” on the way to high school as an angsty teen. But I digress, the way she was able to seamlessly shift the energy from making you want to dance to making you want to cry was truly impressive.
Starting out with a bang, Eilish began her set with two of her more upbeat raunchy songs from her recently-released record. “CHIHIRO,” and “LUNCH” instantly set the tone and brought the crowd to their feet. Soon after, as hinted at above, she transitioned to her more somber “when the party’s over” where she silenced the crowd to perform a live layered vocal loop, before bringing the party back with her playful single “bad guy.”
Aside from the vibrant mesmerizing lights, a handful onscreen visuals and a dynamic moving onstage box, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ was relatively stripped back and no frills compared to your average arena show. Now, our definition of “stripped back” and “no frills” might differ, but hear me out. I’ve been to concerts, where the performance goes beyond the songs and almost takes away from the music, the meaning and the lyrics themselves. These often gimmicky tricks are fun but Billie’s voice is truly so angelic, and her energy so authentic, that she doesn’t really need any fluff to prop her up.
For our money, Eilish creates absolute pop bangers that will have you jumping up and down while somehow also bringing you to tears – or is that just me?
In her iconic Adam Sandler-esque basketball shorts fit, an oversized tee, and rotating beanie/Yankees baseball cap headwear, she circled around the stage, engaged with fans and, at times, emotionally performed while laying on the stage floor.
Her fans unsurprisingly went wild deep into the night when a slew of green lights flashed while she played Charli XCX’s “Guess featuring Billie Eilish,” an added remix from Charli’s cult-favorite “Brat” album. The collab, which in my opinion, is a perfect “main character, strutting down the streets of NYC” kind of song, is filled with provocative lyrics that left Charli and Billie fans with the perfect bop to close out “Brat Summer.” All that said, if you missed the ‘Brat Tour,’ at the very least, you can get a small taste of its clubby flavor at the “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour!
And, although this was her first time touring without her brother Finneas O’Connell — who just announced a 2025 solo tour of his own — she surprised the MSG night one by bringing him out to play “What Was I Made For” her Grammy and Oscar-winning hit from the 2023 “Barbie” movie.
After her earth-shattering “Happier Than Ever” outro where she screamed “Just f*** leave me alone!” in unison with an amped-up crowd, Eilish transitioned to her final song, “Birds of a Feather.” Closing out her concert with arguably the most popular song from “Hit Me Hard and Soft” truly captured the bond she has with her fans.
“Birds of a Feather” has become a staple on Tiktok for creators to make videos showcasing romantic relationships and lifelong friendships making this a full-circle moment from her debut as a 13-year-old on Soundcloud to performing three sold-out shows at MSG.
Final verdict
Billie Eilish is the perfect combination of grunge and softness and it was mesmerizing to see an artist that can project such a range of emotions — hitting us hard and soft — and command an arena-sized crowd the way she did.
If I could, I would go back and relive the concert a million times over but for now, I will live vicariously through the excessive amount of videos I took on my phone. Seeing Eilish’s live was an incredible experience that I couldn’t recommend more.
And yes, I left MSG feeling “Happier Than Ever.”
If you’re in New York and want to see her live, she’ll be at MSG on Thursday, Oct. 17 and Friday, Oct. 18.
She’ll close her Big Apple run at Studio 8H when she serves as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” alongside host Michael Keaton on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Billie Eilish tour schedule 2024
A calendar including all North American (as well as a handful of U.K. tour dates), venues, and links to buy tickets can be found below.
Finneas solo tour
Starting in February, Finneas will strike out on his ‘For Cryin’ Out Loud!’ tour that will send him all over North America.
New Yorkers that want to see him live are in luck; he’ll be at the Brooklyn Paramount on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23.
To see if he’s headed to your neck of the woods, check out Finneas’ complete tour schedule here.
Billie Eilish set list
Based on our findings at Set List FM, here’s what Eilish played at her first night at MSG on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
01.) “CHIHIRO”
02.) “LUNCH”
03.) “NDA” (shortened)
04.) “Therefore I Am”
05.) “WILDFLOWER”
06.) “when the party’s over” (live looped vocal layers intro)
07.) “THE DINER”
08.) “ilomilo”
09.) “bad guy”
10.) “THE GREATEST”
11.) “Male Fantasy”
12.) “SKINNY”
13.) “TV”
14.) “bury a friend”
15.) “Oxytocin”
16.) “Guess” (Charli XCX cover)
17.) “everything i wanted”
18.) “lovely / idontwannabeyouanymore / ocean eyes”
19.) “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE”
20.) “What Was I Made For?” (with Finneas)
21.) “Happier Than Ever”
22.) “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Huge stars on tour in 2024-25
Live music is having a bit of a moment.
Case in point, here are just five icons on the road you won’t want to miss these next few months.
• Dua Lipa
Who else is out and about? Take a gander at our list of the 50 biggest concert tours in 2024 to find out.
Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.