The 1 By 1 Tour made its way to Chicago this past weekend, bringing Billie Eilish to the iconic Metro to put her talent on full display that Sunday night. And did she ever…
The crowd was a mixed bag of tweens, parents, and fans fitting other demographic buckets that somehow came together in the same room to admire first-hand what a fast-rising 16-year-old can do. Billie exuded confidence as she commanded the stage, from covering every part of the floor that she could step on, to taking advantage of the gigantic spider on the stage that provided a killer light set-up and offered an extra platform from which she could sing on top. She immediately proved why she’s such a breath of fresh air in the music landscape with her intense and artful dancing, while also making time to connect with the onlooking crowd in personal ways like asking people to move back to let the front row breathe, telling fans she’d do anything for them to make sure they have a good time in a genuinely sincere tone, & using the time in between tracks to tell her fans when she really wanted them to get lit with her.
Billie has something special. Her live set, with songs like “My Boy,” “Idontwannabeyouanymore,” “When The Party’s Over,” and “Bellyache,” had a good balance of slower tracks to put an arm around your companion and sway side-to-side while singing along, to songs that inspired even young girls to throw the devil horns in the air and wild out once the beat or chorus dropped. You can’t teach this kind of charm, so it was just so dope to see her perform again and guide fans on a little journey like this. She truly lights up when she plays live and like all great performers, her music takes on a whole new amplified vibe that demands you pay attention. I’m a Billie Eilish fan and I expect this is to be just the shining beginning of what promises to be a storied career.
The rest of the tour is sold out, so if you’ve got tickets, then you’re in for a truly memorable show. If you’re reading this because you want to know what you’ll be missing out on, nothing here will do it justice… But I will point out that you cannot sleep on getting tickets next time she’s in town.
Photo Credit: Oscar Oliva Jr / Pursuit Of Dopeness
