After a gloomy start to Sunday (with the exception of a Sunday 10k with friends), I was more than ready to have a cozy night in. However, one of my most anticipated shows of the entire year was about to kick off a two night stint in Minnesota, and I had to be there for at least one of them. While I was not one of the hundreds that camped outside of Xcel Energy Center prior to Billie Elish’s massive return to the Twin Cities following the release of her third full length “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” I completely shared the enthusiasm and eagerness to witness what was sure to be one of the best shows of the year. The energy from Xcel Energy Center was buzzing from what felt like a mile away, and as I made my way into the venue and waited with thousands of others to get inside, it was clear that all of us were ready for a cathartic first night.
One of the perks of this tour, I’m my opinion, was that there was only one opener before Billie Eilish. For Minnesota, the opening slot was filled by Towa Bird, an artist I’ve had on my personal radar for all of 2024, after bursting into the scene just last year. With the release of her first full length “American Hero” earlier this year, Towa Bird showcased nearly the entire album to an arena full of eager fans that ate up every ounce of charisma she and her band mates had to offer. What was truly exciting about her set, outside of a fantastic debut to the Twin Cities, was that Towa Bird was true to herself; as a member of the LGBTQA+ community, Towa never shied away from showcasing pieces of her story and experiences through song. I was interested in how Towa Bird would fare in an arena and at times the confidence that shined through her set it felt like this was her show, not Billie’s, with Towa & co. having the perfect energy to set the bar high for what was to come. Towa Bird even put on a stellar shorted cover of “Hollaback Girl” that was just fun to watch the crowd get completely into. While I was bummed that Towa’s time with us was only 40 minutes (I’m hoping for a headlining show in the Twin Cities at any point in 2025), the palpable anticipation was mounting for what was soon to come.
I would consider myself fortunate to have seen Billie Eilish a couple of times before her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour made a stop in the Twin Cities, with the most recent show also at Xcel, supporting her sophomore record “Happier Than Ever.” This time around, Eilish had a center rectangular stage in place of a stage set up at one end of the venue, giving fans from everywhere in the arena a great view of the performance. As the house lights dimmed signaling the start of Elish’s set, the first wave of many (and I mean many) screams filled the arena, with Eilish bursting onto the stage in full swing with “CHIHIRO” after a short intro. Eilish honestly didn’t have to do anything but look in any general direction of the crowd to set off a new wave of screams; from purely a crowd perspective, this was the loudest show I have been to in a long time. Similar to her show in 2022, it felt like every movement, glance, trek around the stage in the round would stir up the crowd and a new series of screams.
As Eilish moved through her set, what became immediately very evident was the evolution of the production and visuals that went along with the songs chosen for this tour. There was definitely just as much storytelling and emotion coming from the various lighting, the ever moving cube hanging above the stage, the screens way above the stage to the ones that made up the stage itself, and expertly timed bouts of pyro as there was from Eilish & co’s performance and music. There was only one time where Eilish requested the crowd to be quiet during the set, right at the beginning of the”when the party’s over;” this was so Eilish could do something I haven’t seen done live before: put her own vocals on a loop to track the harmonies that are in the background of the song. It was honestly such a cool added touch to the live performance of this track. Overall, this time around, Eilish sounded more polished, confident, and well rounded, visibly shining during every moment on stage.
Eilish even made a move to the B stage for a couple of songs near the end of her performance (which included “Guess,” her collab with Charli XCX). All too soon the opening beat of “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” were blasting through the arena, signaling the end of the night, but not before confetti could fill the Xcel from all angles near the end of the song. It is easy to walk away from the first night of the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour in the Twin Cities with a sense of optimism; even though the prior week has been challenging for a lot of folks, Eilish offered a glimmer of hope in the 90 minute escape from the real world, offering to be a source of support and vowing to continue to be a voice for all, with the experience proving to be more than cathartic for myself and others in attendance.
Setlist:
CHIHIRO
LUNCH
NDA
Therefore I Am
WILDFLOWER
when the party’s over
THE DINER
ilomilo
bad guy
THE GREATEST
Your Power
SKINNY
TV
bury a friend
Oxytocine
Guess
(Charli xcx cover)
everything i wanted
lovely / idontwannabeyouanymore / ocean eyes
L’AMOUR DE MA VIE
What Was I Made For?
Happier Than Ever
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
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