Billie Eilish brought emboldened fans and an unforgettable show to Orlando

Credit: by Henry Hwu/@henryhwu

Grammy Award-winning artist Billie Eilish returned to Orlando for the first time in almost six years on Tuesday night — and it certainly went better than her Miami Night Two show.

In case you missed it, a concertgoer violently grabbed Eilish by her hair and dragged her toward the ground at the second of her three Miami shows last week. Luckily, Eilish’s security and a fan — whom the internet dubbed “red bandana girl” — took the time to berate the culprit and make him regret ever touching the beloved singer-songwriter.

Orlando fans stood in solidarity with both Eilish and “red bandana girl” following her newfound internet fame, incorporating red bandanas into their concert outfits.

The blended-genre musician brought her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to the Kia Center Tuesday night. The tour is in support of her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which led to her largest week of equivalent album units (399,000) on the Billboard 200 in Eilish’s history — aka this tour was highly anticipated and very, very sold-out across stops, including Orlando.

The show fell authentically in line with Eilish’s style and persona: hard and tough to the naked eye, but soft and tenderhearted in nature.

A notable and admirable aspect of the stage design was putting the singer in the center of the arena, allowing Eilish to have a 360-degree view of the audience. This detail felt intentional as Eilish took advantage, using every opportunity to move around and engage with fans from all sides of the venue.

Emerging from the backstage shadows in a suspended cage, Eilish brought a mix of pyrotechnics and hypnotic lighting changes that synced to her setlist. While fire and rave-like light displays flashed before the audience, the Los Angeles-based artist displayed her dumbfounding vocal range in her ballads and hymn-like songs.

Her armoire of awards are obvious trophies of proof of her talent, but it was still surreal to experience that level of talent in real time. At only 23 years old, Eilish is a nine-time Grammy Award winner and the youngest artist to have a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. And let’s not forget her two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for her original songs from the movies Barbie and No Time to Die.

The Barbie movie’s “What Was I Made For?,” one of the two songs that landed Eilish an Oscar, was incorporated into the setlist with an intimate sit-down session of the hit song. Eilish also played her featured verse on the legendary Charli XCX song “Guess,” which was accompanied by brat-green strobe lights.

Credit: by Henry Hwu/@henryhwu

Eilish’s stage presence and singing abilities were stunning in themselves, but there was one particular moment that had us utterly astonished. Before performing “when the party’s over,” Eilish asked the arena of 20,000 audience members to remain completely silent — and they did. You could have heard a pin drop if it weren’t for the hauntingly beautiful vocal loops that Eilish began to build.

It felt uncanny to be in a Kia Center that quiet, but it further demonstrated the mutual love and respect held between Eilish and her fans. Eilish took several different moments to acknowledge how inhumane the world has been while reminding her audience of her love and that she is not afraid to fight for them.

Her pre-show videos explained her mission for sustainability, pointing out to the seated audience aspects of her artistry that help the environment, like the recycled plastics and fabrics that make up her merchandise and vinyl records.

Orlando attendees were also given an acoustic performance of “TV,” an emotional single that is not typically on the set list. And we left feeling lucky as ever.

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Billie Eilish brought emboldened fans and an unforgettable show to Orlando

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