I wasn’t a Billie Eilish fan until her London gig completely changed my mind

It’s funny how something as simple as moving the stage can completely transform an arena into an intimate venue, but Billie Eilish did just that.

Two years on from being the youngest ever Glastonbury headliner, my expectations were high for the opening night of a five-night run at London’s O2 Arena.

After that one gig, I have gone from a sceptic to a full convert into the cult of Billie.

I’m unsure why the magnitude of her stardom has passed me by for so many years, but her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour managed to reignite my love for forgotten tracks and emotionally connected me to others, which I never paid enough attention to.

That’s what good live music should do.

Hard and soft couldn’t be a more perfect name for this tour as she opened with huge hits CHIHIRO and LUNCH, immediately getting the energy up and everyone dancing.

While she has plenty of big dance hits, it was the soft core of the show that really stood out, with those undeniably incredible vocals taking centre stage.

By placing said stage in the middle of the O2 — with no viewing restrictions other than the occasional floating speaker — the 23-year-old star made a 20,000-person venue feel downright cosy. 

Fans were within touching distance without even trying, and coupled with her selfie camera streamed onto the screens, it felt like Billie was reaching back out.

It’s impossible not to warm to her with her beaming smile and emotional message to the audience that this was a ‘safe space’ for everyone.

Such a stripped-back show is not what I expected from a former Glastonbury headliner’s entire tour, but it all feels effortless. Billie was made for this.

While her rendition of her Barbie hit, What Was I Made For?, was a particular highlight, the standout moment was by far When The Party’s Over.

Created by looping vocals, Billie boldly asked the audience for complete silence for one minute. 

Having seen Beyoncé’s mute challenge, I was apprehensive, but the crowd obliged, resulting in a haunting moment with Billie’s harmonising filling the O2 arena. 

It’s no surprise her show was a hot ticket, with ticket exchange and resale platform, Viagogo, revealing the number of searches for her shows could have filled Wembley Stadium 12 times over.

By far the most popular night was Thursday, July 10, with fans desperate to be the first to see their idol.

Of course, Billie’s popularity has been helped (as if it needed to be) by viral tracks like Bird of a Feather and her appearance on Charli XCX’s Guess remix — both of which feature on the setlist.

In fact, when she opened her tour and played Guess for the first time in September, it became Charli XCX’s fifth highest-viewed day on Viagogo that year. That’s the power of Billie.

In a way, I was thankful for the lack of a Charli special guest cameo, although she is projected on screens. This was not her moment. Instead, it proved what the entire hour and a half set had emphasised from the start – a true icon needs no stunts. 

Yes, Billie floated on a platform a few times, but ultimately this was about the raw talent of the Lunch hitmaker and her band. 

I’m still emotional thinking about her rendition of What Was I Made For, sung while kneeling in front of an adoring crowd. Or her shortened version of Happier Than Ever, a song I wish had been given five extra verses rather than cut down.

This is where Billie shines; she is in a league of her own among the pop girlies when it comes to sheer vocal talent. 

I might be so bold as to say that the star delivered the perfect gig. Visually stunning in its simplicity, pitch perfect vocals, dance numbers and a prompt finish at 10pm – I was on the tube home by quarter past (a real win in my books). 

In a world where more is more and big-name cameos are what make a show memorable, Billie Eilish proved that sometimes just being a strong performer is enough.

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