Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour” hit me with intense energy at the Kaseya Center on Oct. 9. From opener Tom Odell to the final seconds of “Birds of a Feather,” the show’s closing song, it was hard to stop crying.
Even before the show started, Eilish impressed me with her sustainability efforts that are a part of the tour.
After getting their tickets scanned, fans were welcomed to shop official tour merch, made with recycled materials, including recycled cotton for t-shirts and recycled vinyl for record albums.
On the second level of the arena, Eilish’s sustainability efforts were made known at education booths, featuring QR codes with links to surveys, where fans were encouraged to think about their impacts.
After completing one survey, fans were entered into a raffle to win a guitar played by Eilish on the tour.
The first time Eilish had a show in Miami was during her, “Where Do We Go?” World Tour in March of 2020, just before COVID-19 canceled the rest of her tour dates. It was clear that Miami missed her.
More than 19,000 fans filled the arena. They all erupted into screams when Eilish appeared on stage for “Chihiro,” her first song of the night. High energy, flashing lights and moving screens captivated the audience for more than 20 songs.
One of my favorite parts of the show was a fan project during the song “Wildflower.” Fans passed out colored tape to put over phone flashlights, and when the song came on, a rainbow illuminated the arena.
Eilish was very interactive with the crowd, asking fans to put up their flashlights to get a better look at the fan project. There was a portion of the show where fans went silent for about a minute while Eilish harmonized with herself using a looping machine for the intro to, “When the Party’s Over.”
She even gave fans permission to sit down for a three song acoustic segment of “Your Power,” “Skinny” and “TV.”
The night ended with confetti flying through the air during “Birds of a Feather,” and my post-concert depression immediately began to sink in.
Overall, Eilish’s show was the perfect balance of emotional depth and electrifying energy. Her connection with the crowd made the night unforgettable. If you ever have the chance to go see her, you don’t want to miss it.