Billie Eilish means business in solid solo turn at United Center

Rihanna might have said it best with her recent viral comment about Billie Eilish: “She’s so good.”

If it wasn’t already clear by Eilish’s dual Oscar wins, diamond album certifications, nine Grammys and a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential People list in 2021, the 22-year-old’s Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour certainly drives it all home.

Promoting her latest album of the same name, the tour touched down at United Center for the first of two nights on Wednesday, and in the span of 100 hypnotic minutes, the electropop star had a feverish crowd jumping on their feet or crying their eyes out, depending on the song.

“It’s been a tough week for us all,” Eilish said to launch into the incredibly moving “Your Power.” The song’s message of “try not to abuse it” quickly took on new meaning this night, delivered just a week after America’s polarizing election results. Revelers in the crowd had loaded reactions, too, half of them sobbing during the song, another portion yelling “f – – – Trump.”

“I’m not even going to get into it, I just want to say you are safe in this room,” Eilish added, taking a long pause as if she might change her mind. “I’m just going to play it.” 

The song didn’t need any extra oratory details as Eilish wielded its lyrical eloquence through her heartfelt delivery, done while sitting on a stool, strumming an acoustic guitar and flanked by a pair of backup singers. The moment’s gravity was only matched when she performed the Oscar-winning “Barbie” soliloquy “What Was I Made For?” later on in the set as the waterworks came on once again.

Within minutes, though, there was a needed release as Eilish followed up the somberness of “Your Power” with a beat-blasting club overture of “Bury A Friend,” “Oxytocin” and “Guess,” that steamy collaboration with Charli XCX.

If it sounds like a neurotic whiplash, it wasn’t. There was a higher order to the night that prevented any sense of staleness in a 22-song set. It’s the beauty of Eilish’s dimensional talent: She can be serious when she needs to be and fun when she wants to be, and own both roles — as good at playing the “Bad Guy” as the Barbie.

Many of the elements of Eilish’s latest tour are familiar hallmarks from her stadium shows and Lollapalooz appearances of the past five-ish years, including a long, linear stage to speed race her way across. An eff-you beauty standards outfit of boyish baggy shorts and a sports jersey (flatteringly imitated by dozens of teens wearing their own Chicago Bulls paraphernalia). was complemented by a refreshing humility and positive use of her platform for the greater good.

Before Eilish kicked off her set, a five-minute video played on the screens detailing the many sustainability efforts she has locked into for the tour as a way to fight climate crisis. Among them, partnering with Reverb and Google Maps to give concertgoers more access to public transportation; making her merch and vinyl out of 100% recycled materials; providing free water bottle refill stations; and awareness for Support + Feed, the eco-forward, plant-based mission of Eilish’s mom Maggie Baird.

The night offered new takeaways, too. For starters, Eilish doesn’t need her brother Finneas to make her live shows special. While the siblings make up one of the greatest songwriting duos of the modern era, the fact that Finneas is busy preparing his own headlining tour only gave Eilish more turf to own. And she did so with the confidence of someone just nominated for seven Grammy awards, whether she got the house to be quiet on set as she looped vocals for “When the Party’s Over” or played with a pair of bras tossed onto the stage during “Lunch.”

Eilish even filled in Finneas’ production and musical gaps, playing some instruments herself (acoustic guitar on “Your Power,” electric on “Happier Than Ever” and piano on a medley of “Lovely/Idontwannabeyouanymore/Ocean Eyes”) and brought in an exceptional live band with four instrumentalists and two backup vocalists that added a voluminous wall of sound. Their contributions brought more of a cinematic nature to Eilish’s songbook, particularly on newer hit “The Greatest.” The effect also dovetailed perfectly with the brilliant use of mood lighting, strobe effects and Lynchian video walls that turned Eilish’s noir music into its own arthouse film.

Ending with her newest hit “Birds Of A Feather,” Eilish gave a parting message of sticking together in these weird times, counting herself in the mix.

“I’ll always fight for you, stand up for you,” she said, “and be your voice for you when you feel like you don’t have a voice.”

Billie Eilish returns to United Center for a second night on Nov. 14.

SET LIST

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

Oxytocin

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