On October 14th, I went to see Billie Eilish’s concert in Orlando at the Kia Center. As someone who loves concerts and has attended a range of genres and venues, I jumped at the chance to get tickets when I heard this artist was coming into town. I was so excited when I did get them, and I had no idea what to expect. Going into this experience, I didn’t expect much; I thought it would be a concert with some good music to add to my list.
When Brandon Greaver, another journalist from One School, and I arrived at the venue, we immediately noticed how everyone was dressed. With baggy jorts, jerseys, and bandanas, everyone was on theme with Billie and her style. It was so cool to see how all her followers knew what to wear and how to show up as fans.
We got our tickets, and the show started with Young Miko as the opener. I was not familiar with her whatsoever, but she had great energy that kept the crowd alive. She was a great performer who truly had the captivating energy needed to perform in such a large venue.
Around 8:15 pm, the lights went out, and the show began. The second the lights turned off, the crowd erupted into screams.
She stepped on stage, and the show started. She performed a few songs from her latest album, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT”. After, she sat in the middle of the stage and told the audience that she would be performing “When the Party’s Over,” in which she used a looping microphone to layer vocals to make harmonies. She told the crowd that she needed them to be completely silent for this to work, and everyone listened. That was such a cool part of the show, where around 20,000 crazed fans just fell silent.
Throughout the show, she performed songs from all her albums and engaged with the whole crowd, no matter how high their seats were. She made everyone feel like she was performing solely for them, and that they weren’t at the top of the arena. Her voice truly carried throughout every seat.
The setlist was around 2 hours and 40 minutes, but it felt like so much less. Overall, I am truly blessed to experience one of the best performers of this era. I’ve never really understood what people mean when they say, “She put on a good show.” But after watching Billie own that 360 stage on her own, I can find a true meaning to that.
