Why You Really Need to See Billie Eilish in Texas This Week

Billie Eilish was just 13 years old when she heard her first Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Ocean Eyes,” on the radio. She was at home with her mom, dad, dog and brother, Finneas O’Connell, who is also her producer and collaborator. The moment was caught in the fascinating documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, (free on Apple TV).

Her dad was folding laundry and had on a headlamp as she bashfully giggled at hearing her voice on the radio. 

The documentary traces the pop star’s early trajectory, and after that iconic moment, the show jumps ahead a few years when the 17-year-old is on tour for her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

After one concert, the camera captures Eilish collapsing on a couch backstage in a mix of sadness, loneliness and exhaustion. Her mom pleads with her to go back out to complete a meet-and-greet. 

It’s hard to watch a young woman’s life unfold before you. Imagine the nights you want to crawl into bed and cry … as a teenager. But you’ve got a meet-and-greet after a three-hour show with corporate 50-year-olds in khakis who couldn’t name one of her songs if their next Michelob Ultra depended on it.

But that was 17-year-old Billie. Older, wiser Eilish now has 44 Hot 100 hits and nine Grammys, with two more nominations just this week. Last Friday (Nov. 7) in New Orleans, she put on a show that kicked off the final leg of her tour, one that has had zero stops in Big D. 

Touring On Her Terms

With this latest tour, Eilish mandated a schedule that runs in three-week increments with a week to six weeks off in between, allowing her downtime at home. The Wall Street Journal Magazine reported in a recent article that the prolonged schedule likely cost her money, a tradeoff she seems willing to take. 

The final leg of the tour includes two shows in Tulsa at the BOK Center on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 10 and 11), followed by two shows in Austin at the Moody Center on Thursday and Friday (Nov. 13 and 14). 

She’ll close out in Phoenix, then will have two shows in San Francisco the following weekend. 

Finneas isn’t on this tour. He told Vogue last year that his younger sister (by four years) no longer needed him on the road, as she did when she was 16 and 17. He embarked on his own solo tour for his For Cryin’ Out Loud album. 

The Biggest Easy

For her show in New Orleans last weekend, Eilish wore an oversized brown jersey with baggy blue shorts. Her jet-black hair flowed from underneath an oversized ballcap. And, of course, those stunning, clear blue eyes.

The Smoothie King Center in NOLA — home to the NBA’s Pelicans — is a smaller side hustle to the Caesar’s Superdome, with seats for about 18,000. On Friday night, as one might expect, the demographic leaned toward teenage girls. Lots of moms were in-step with style, too, though. There were a few dads, looking a little lost, wondering how they had gotten themselves into this, often holding a big pretzel or a paper boat of nachos. 

The dominant dress was either a blue jersey or a white button-up Oxford with a plaid tie. We were way off, but when you’re as old as Jaws and your plantar fasciitis is agitated, you do what you can.

A Stage for the People

Eilish’s stage setup is the Oprah of designs: Everyone gets a front-row seat, a testament to her connection with fans. The stage is a giant figure eight in the center of the floor, spanning the length of a basketball court. Standing room only seats circle the stage, then floor seats with more room on the sides for SRO. Giant screens circle the stage, making every seat in the house a good one, except perhaps for those at the very top, but they have their youth. 

Her band and two back-up singers — who are Eilish’s childhood friends — were sunk in the center of the stage (the holes of the figure 8, if you will).

The house lights went off while lasers and bass swallowed the arena at 8:20 p.m., and 18,000 girls lost their minds. With a generous pour of red wine, we sank into our front-row upper deck seats and took in the amazing show.

Eilish has the confidence of Madonna — playfully flirty — at ease with her star-power, all combined with the energy of a spin instructor. Her lyrics are anthems: Fans don’t want but rather need every word. Their collective chorus often drowns out the singer’s soft, visceral lyrics. With her trademark jumping (her shins were taped nicely, to age myself again), she worked every bit of the stage.

For almost three hours, she sank deep into solos with the warmth of a weighted blanket. Other songs were dark and fiery. “And I don’t talk shit about you on the internet,” rained down from 10 thousand fans like soft jabs before landing the knockout line: “Just fucking leave me alone.” You don’t have to be a teenager to connect with the sentiment. Jaws connects with it. 

Eilish sat center stage with a single spotlight on her small frame and kindly shushed the crowd to record the silky vocal layers of “When the Party’s Over.” A taste of live looping. The crowd couldn’t help themselves, but it still worked with their screams looped in. 

Birding

Eilish has said that she tried hard to cut the song “Birds of a Feather.” She and Finneas reworked the song for almost a year, trying to perfect the chorus. After listening to the final album, she recalled to the WSJ, “Guys, this one is kind of stupid.” Lovey dovey isn’t why all those girls show up to scream every line — even though they did. 

(Which, WSJ, you chose Ben Stiller for the cover of that issue instead of Eilish? Interesting …) 

For “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie soundtrack, the singer sat on at the end of the stage, giving an intimate performance to one section, while the rest of us didn’t flinch, absorbing every breathy word. We probably even cried a little.

“Happier Than Ever” was the penultimate tune before she gave the people what they needed, the song she wanted to cut the most: “Birds of a Feather.” It’s not so clear who was singing (or screaming) to whom here. 

Old, wise Billie knew her assignment: At the end of the show, she reminded her fans that no matter what’s going on in the world, she’s here for them. 

As we were leaving, piling onto escalators and down stairwells, the crowd was still singing about not talking shit on the internet. (Interesting note: No one chanted “Fire Nico!” although it crossed my mind to see how it would land. (I didn’t!)) 

There are concerts, and there are shows. This is a show from a weathered veteran performer, prioritizing her health and family above making a few extra million. With just a couple of weeks left on the tour, if the means are there, the journey is worth it. Teenage kid in tow or not.