Billie Eilish: Hit hard and Soft Concert
WARNING: Flashing lights, photosensitive viewers be cautious. Slight mentions of depression/mental health issues discussed among fans.
I want to be the type of artist that I would be a fan of. (Eilish, 2026)
The Billie Eilish concert movie was such a fun experience. All of the songs were performed with energy. I can see the amount of time and effort Billie and the concert team put into giving the fans a great performance. Every song didn’t falter once or feel corporate in there performances, but authentic and real for the fans, who’ve loved her since the beginning or recently.
Something I noticed in the film was when Billie was talking about her fans, she talks about them like the people they deserve to be seen as. There never is a moment where I felt that she was fake or playing a role. There’s a mutual respect that she has for the people that got her to where she is today and it was a nice change of pace to see in how celebrities are grateful, rather than seeing the downsides of there experiences. However, there’s a boundary that the fans have for Billie. Unlike the Justin Bieber movies (Never Say Never and Believe) where the fans are basically climbing on the stage and trying to hug him without his consent, Billie’s fans touch her, but don’t attack her on stage. While, I don’t condone the scratches that she has obtained from fans since that can cause serious injuries down the road, she didn’t seem to mind and it shows her humbleness in how her fans feel and if she was in there shoes, she would do the same (minus trying to scratch them). There’s a presence in her that feels calming and I love seeing that and made me drawn to her more.
Another aspect of the film I appreciated was James Cameron. Despite not always liking his work (e.g. Avatar), I respect the fact that he was willing to take a step back and let Billie have her spotlight. This shows the humility he has. While he works with her making this film, he is able to get a deeper insight into the songs and the type of artist she wants to be. We do see him on screen for a little bit, but the rest of the time he is behind the scenes acting as the interviewer, which was interesting to see but works since he asks questions that didn’t involve any drama/controversy.
One song that made me tear up was What was I made for. Her performance was raw and beautiful but also got some insight in the behind the scenes aspect of the song. Billie opens up about how she is criticized for the clothes she wears, which is non-feminine. Despite feeling comfortable in those clothes, but she is judged for those clothes. It’s sad to see because an artist should be able to express themselves without being critiqued for it, however it does happen and I love that she is able to continue to show off herself in a way that feels comfortable for her rather than conforming to societies standards in what an artist “should wear”. I teared up watching that performance because it’s one of my favorite songs Billie does and to see her sing that song was beautiful to see. Connecting with her fans on a deeper level, it was as if she was speaking to them and that the songs resonate with them was beautiful to see.
One element that I didn’t like was the 3-D element. While seeing this film the 3-D aspect felt wonky. At times, things were blurry and clumped together. While it didn’t impact my experience, it kind of made me at times take off my 3-D glasses to try and get a clearer picture. Not sure if other people had this experience, but for me it did throw me off a little. Hope this issue gets fixed soon as it is a cool aspect that the film has and it can work in concert films.
Overall, this was a great film to watch if your a fan and you will be wanting to sing along with Billie and the fans at that concert!