Concert Review: Billie Eilish Hits Boston Hard, Soft, Quiet, and Loud at TD Garden

22-year-old Billie Eilish showed Boston exactly who she is at her sold out concert at TD Garden on Oct. 11. The eighth stop on “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour,” Eilish maintained impressive control over her set throughout the night, seamlessly transitioning between the highs and low energies of her discography.

After an exciting performance from American pop duo and Eilish’s good friends Nat and Alex Wolff, the arena simmered with anticipation. In a way, it felt as if the audience became a group of friends as they awaited Eilish’s entrance. At one point, everyone moved their flashlights to the beat of the pre-show music, waving to strangers across the floor. They chanted “Billie” and let out howls calling her to the stage.

The arena erupted with ear-splitting screams when the big cube sitting on stage lit up to reveal Eilish’s shadow, and the multi-talented artist began her set with “Chihiro” from her latest album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” The second song, “Lunch,” introduced even more energy, with Eilish running around the stage as fans threw bras at her. “Thank you for these,” she said cheekily.

The show’s lighting design cannot go unmentioned. It consistently matched and elevated the spirit of the tracks Eilish played — colorful and cartoon-like for “Lunch,” flashing black and white for “NDA,” red for “Oxytocin,” and a fitting green for “Guess.” Pyrotechnics literally brought the heat during songs like “Therefore I Am,” “bury a friend,” and “Happier Than Ever.” The lighting also brought the energy down when needed — a lone spotlight shone down on Eilish as she performed her sadder, quieter songs such as “lovely,” “idontwannabeyouanymore,” “Ocean Eyes,” and “when the party’s over.”

One engaging aspect of the show was the vlog-style camera Eilish occasionally carried around. She took fans with her as she ran across the venue, posing with band members, security staff, and audience members along the way. Seeing this perspective on the big screen was refreshing, showing the audience a performer’s point of view.

Boston was Eilish's seventh city on the opening leg of her tour, "Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour." By Courtesy of Henry Hwu

Eilish brought her longtime friends Ava and Jane Horner on stage for her performances of “Male Fantasy” and “Skinny.” They provided background vocals for Eilish, the three of them sitting in a triangle while they shared this special experience.

An especially poignant moment in the show was Eilish’s performance of “when the party’s over.” Instead of simply using the instrumental as the backing track, she recorded her humming live, doubling it and looping it to recreate the opening of the track. However, in order for this creative and intimate moment to be successful, it required complete silence in the room — a difficult task in a 19,600 seat arena. Sitting criss-cross applesauce on the darkened stage, Eilish asked her fans for this favor of silence.

“It’s the only time in my life that I’m gonna ask for silence from you, because I love the noise more than anything in the world,” she said.

Eilish asked, and her fans delivered. For 30 seconds, it felt as if the air had been sucked out of TD Garden, breaths held behind recording iPhones. The audience watched in awe as the layers of her voice came together, waiting for the moment they could sing along. “Don’t you know I’m no good for you,” Eilish sang, the opening line of the song. “I've learned to lose you, can't afford to,” the audience screamed back — the second line of the song was so loud and full of love it must have echoed throughout the streets of Boston.

Eilish closed out the night with “Birds of a Feather,” off of “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” Friends held hands and sang to each other as they jumped around, and one couple even got engaged. “I love you,” Eilish screamed to her fans as she waved, bowed, and threw them kisses. This show made one thing glaringly clear — Eilish is no longer the 13-year-old girl the world fell in love with. She’s a performer, a creative, a friend — a star — and Boston knows it.

—Staff writer Najya S. Gause can be reached at najya.gause@thecrimson.com.