CONCERT REVIEW: Billie Eilish connects with audience on “Happier than Ever” tour
May 15, 2022
On April 4, 2022, a sold-out Gila River Arena crowd welcomed Billie Eilish to Glendale and the show did not disappoint.
The multiple stages were well set up: Stage A with a steep part in the middle top and a step down to the rest of stage one and across from it was stage B, a small,sectioned stage with a part in the middle of it that goes up and over the crowd on the floor, going close to those who are in seats.
Billie had multiple artists opening up for her on specific dates. These artists are Dora Jar, Duckwrth, and Jessie Reyez. Specifically to this date, Duckwrth was the supporting act. He performed close to 13 songs, such as “Crush” and “No Chill.” He had so much energy, vibing with the crowd and making a connection by speaking to the audience as if he had known them already. By the end of his performance, Duckwrth thanked the crowd for their time and got us ready for Billie.
Billie then came on stage with her brother, Finneas, and their drummer Andrew. Her setlist comprised most of the songs from her latest album Happier Than Ever such as “Therefore I Am”, “Billie Bossa Nova”, and the title track “Happier Than Ever.” The setlist also included songs from her other albums When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Don’t Smile At Me. All tracks played at the concert were filled with flashing lights of many colors and lots of background visuals on the stage screens. Billie had so much excitement and energy that flooded out of her and into the crowd. She had the crowd getting low, jumping, screaming and repeating lyrics, etc. She even took time to talk and laugh with the crowd, read their signs, and to make sure we were okay.
After singing her acoustic songs, like “I Love You”, with her brother on stage A, Billie then played an onscreen interlude, “Not My Responsibility” and made her way to stage B while the arena was dark. On this stage she performed three songs: “Overheated,” “Bellyache,” and “Ocean Eyes” before playing her visual beginning to “Getting Older” and sneaking her way back to stage A to play the last seven songs.
Her last songs were “Everything I Wanted”, a song she wrote for her brother that gave the crowd an emotional connection to both of them, “Bad Guy”, and “Happier Than Ever. At the end of “Bad Guy”, Billie released confetti that went all over the crowd, stage, and floated in the air throughout the entirety of the last song. Closing with “Happier Than Ever”, the song starts off slow and calm and works up to the fans screaming their heart out to lyrics like “you made me hate this city!” and “just …. leave me alone.” After the song ended, Billie thanked the crowd, Finneas, and Andrew, and they rolled down the steep part of stage A. Finneas and Andrew walked off stage and Billie spent another five minutes waving, blowing kisses, and saying goodbye to the crowd before taking a final bow and leaving the stage.