{"id":390460,"date":"2025-11-19T18:25:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/390460\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T18:25:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:25:16","slug":"billie-eilishs-powerful-phoenix-show-brought-the-house-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/390460\/","title":{"rendered":"Billie Eilish\u2019s powerful Phoenix show brought the house down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1240\" height=\"870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/phoenix-day1-@henryhwu-11-e1763570391923.jpeg\" class=\"article-thumbnail-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBillie Eilish shines at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 18, 2025.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Henry Hwu<\/p>\n<p>On the way to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phoenixnewtimes.com\/music\/mortgage-matchup-center-bag-policy-for-billie-eilish-shows-19920595\/\">Mortgage Matchup Center<\/a> last night, I passed by a row of tents. They belonged to fans who were camping out to be on the rail for tonight\u2019s show. They had already been there for hours.<\/p>\n<p>Thus is the power of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phoenixnewtimes.com\/music\/billie-eilish-fans-already-in-line-for-phoenix-show-10-hours-in-advance-40622076\/\">Billie Eilish<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Eilish\u2019s year-long, globe-crossing Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour is wrapping up in just a few days, and the singer\/songwriter\/multi-instrumentalist is finishing strong.<\/p>\n<p>After a short but powerful set by the luminous Lucy Dacus, the supporting act only at the Phoenix shows, Eilish started promptly at 8:15.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong><strong>When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there \u2014<\/strong><br \/><strong> Your support strengthens our coverage.<\/strong><\/strong>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"fundraising-thermometer-body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>She emerged out of a giant hanging cube in the middle of the stage amid ear-piercing screams from the largely young, female crowd, kicking the show off with \u201cCHIHIRO\u201d off her latest album, 2024\u2019s \u201cHit Me Hard and Soft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The stage setup \u2014 imagine a square 8, like on a digital clock, in the center of the venue \u2014 allowed the singer plenty of room to gallop around and get closer to different sections of the audience.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"682\" width=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/phoenix-day1-@henryhwu-46.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40622215\"  \/>Billie Eilish sings up and out on the first night of two shows at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 18, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>What followed was a tight 100-minute set that alternated between high energy and high emotion.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cwhen the party\u2019s over\u201d: The crowd went silent so Eilish could perform what has become one of the most anticipated parts of the show. She sat in the center of the stage, live-looping her vocals to create the beautiful harmony that opens the song.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>\u201cbad guy\u201d: Eilish\u2019s first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 was a first-act showstopper. Red lighting and red lasers added a powerful darkness to Eilish\u2019s rendition, which she performed with a camera in hand, filming the crowd and her band for a star\u2019s-eye view of the action.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTV\u201d: The middle of the show, an acoustic portion with Eilish and her backup singers seated in the center of the stage, showed off Eilish\u2019s guitar chops. \u201cThis is a good time to sit down,\u201d she told the crowd, who promptly obeyed. \u201cTV,\u201d Eilish\u2019s weary, heartbroken ballad, brought at least one fan around me to tears.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGuess\u201d: After the gentler, more emotional acoustic set, Eilish cranked the energy to 11 with \u201cGuess,\u201d her sexy, thumping collab with Charli XCX. The music video played on the screens for Charli\u2019s portion before Eilish took over vocals for her second verse. The room filled with bright green light and lasers, perhaps a nod to Charli\u2019s now-iconic \u201cBrat\u201d hue.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cocean eyes\u201d: Part of a medley that Eilish performed on the keyboard, \u201cocean eyes\u201d celebrated a milestone last night: It was released on SoundCloud on November 18, 2015. In response, thousands of fans held up pieces of paper that read \u201cHAPPY BIRTHDAY OCEAN EYES.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhat Was I Made For?\u201d: Eilish earned her second Academy Award last year for this song from the \u201cBarbie\u201d soundtrack. She sang this one at the edge of the stage, her breathy vocals filling the room. (The beginning of this song was the point in her December 13, 2024, show at Desert Diamond Arena when a fan threw a bracelet to Eilish and hit her in the face; this time, we got through the song with no incidents.)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBIRDS OF A FEATHER\u201d: Eilish closed the show with \u201cBIRDS OF A FEATHER,\u201d the fastest song to hit 3 billion streams on Spotify. As the confetti fell and the lights came up, girls around me cried and hugged.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"1024\" width=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/phoenix-day1-@henryhwu-29.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40622212\"  \/>Fans celebrated 10 years of \u201cOcean Eyes\u201d at Billie Eilish\u2019s Nov. 18 concert at Mortgage Matchup Center.<\/p>\n<p>Just as powerful as Eilish\u2019s voice (which does, indeed, hit both hard and soft) is her ability to project emotion and connect with fans. A coy smirk on \u201cbad guy,\u201d a pleading look on \u201cTV\u201d \u2014 whether it\u2019s genuine or just damn good acting-while-singing, it comes off as authentic.<\/p>\n<p>Eilish took a few moments to reflect on the tour, which, despite getting extra dates along the way, is truly coming to an end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel so, so proud of this tour and this show,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I feel so grateful \u2026 to do this show every night and to get to spend this time with you. \u2026 Thank you for making it possible. I will miss it so much, and I will think so fondly of these memories. I will cherish them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I walked back past the campers after the show, some of whom were sitting outside their tents, watching the crowd file out of the arena, waiting their turn to see their idol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the best night ever,\u201d one fan told them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"682\" width=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/phoenix-day1-@henryhwu-45.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40622216\"  \/>Billie Eilish on the first night of two shows at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 18, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Billie Eilish shines at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 18, 2025. Henry Hwu On the way to Mortgage&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":390461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,89977,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-390460","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-concert-reviews","12":"tag-phoenix","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115577771764514222","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}