Concerts are some of the most exhilarating, exciting and enjoyable occasions a person can experience. I attended the Billie Eilish Concert on February 20th at the TD Garden, and it certainly was all of those qualities and more.
My friend and I got to the venue before opening act Dora Jar even appeared on stage, yet the journey to get there was far from smooth sailing. I was attending the concert with a close friend, so first, we met at Wellington Station and quickly boarded a train. However, getting to the next stop was not as hasty, and the train was moving in a “stop and go” pattern. Eventually, the driver made clear that the next stop would be the train’s last. After the train stopped, we decided to take a shuttle bus, which worked out just fine. The journey was hectic, but we finally made it to the venue.
Once we found our seats, opening act Dora Jar came on stage not long after. Her performance was easily one of the most interesting opening acts I had ever seen. While also sounding beautiful, being on stage came naturally to her, and the audience noticed. My friend and I enjoyed her song “Multiply” the most, and it is definitely worth a listen.
After Dora Jar left the stage, it seemed as if days passed while waiting for Billie’s entrance. At 9 o’clock sharp, the lights shut off. Cheers rose above the crowd as everybody started to anticipate the concert. Drums started to play and lights started blaring, and it started to get real. Then, out of nowhere, Billie jumped out of a hole in the stage, and cheers erupted from the crowd. She started her first song, which was her 2019 hit “bury a friend.” The lights turned red and you could see the entire crowd dancing and having a good time.
A song she performed that I particularly enjoyed was “bellyache,” mainly because it was one of my favorite songs back in middle school and it gave me a lot of nostalgia. We both enjoyed the song “NDA,” which featured a stunning light show that resembled a busy road. Even so, our favorite song was “Happier Than Ever” by far. It was the final song, and the whole audience was singing it at the top of their lungs. Even if Billie had about 12 giant speakers displaying her voice, the audience was still louder. Her selection of songs was great since she did not neglect her old hits, while also highlighting her new ones.
There was confetti sprinkling down from the ceiling as everyone was leaving, and we ended up taking a Lyft back to my friend’s house to avoid the tricky situation with the train and shuttle buses.
Overall, I would say Billie seemed very natural on stage, appearing as if she had done this 100 times before. Also, even when she was dancing around the stage, she sounded identical to how she sounds on the radio.
It also felt very personal, like you were having a conversation with her between songs. To be honest, I somewhat forgot that she was even famous during those moments.
These are the kind of concerts you never forget. The ones that make you say, “did that really just happen?” The ones that make you dread getting up from your seat due to the risk of missing a song. They are tickets you will remember to fight for when the artist comes around next time.
