At the beginning of July, social media across the UK was lit up by one strange story: Billie Eilish fans had started the queue for her first of six O2 Arena shows in London, “over a week” before it was due to begin. The story even made national news, and caused a reaction of outrage towards the growth of queuing and camping culture at larger gigs such as this, especially considering the waste involved and Eilish’s own outspoken stance on environmental protection. While this remains concerning, after experiencing a show like the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, the dedication of fans waiting outside almost becomes understandable.
‘CHIHIRO’ provided Eilish’s grand entrance: a box slowly lowered onto the stage, revealing the star in flickers to the sound of static before the song began. ‘LUNCH’ followed, a track which caused a stir upon its release due to its highly sexual and noticeably sapphic lyrics, before ‘NDA’ continued the set in style with its consideration of life in the spotlight. A bra thrown onstage during ‘Therefore I Am’ seemed premature, given that the ‘Guess’ remix lyric “don’t have to guess the colour of your underwear” had not yet appeared. Despite this physical obstacle, Billie Eilish could be seen bounding across her stage throughout the first four songs, with the audience’s eager eyes following her every move.
“You wanna have some fun?” Eilish asked before ‘WILDFLOWER’, clearly referring to the show as a whole rather than the song which is centred around the complications of breakups. A solemn tone continued into ‘when the party’s over’, a hauntingly vulnerable tale of separation and emotional resignation. For this, Eilish recorded vocal harmonies live, using a loop pedal to repeat them throughout and produce the same effect of fragile beauty that they provide in the song’s studio version.
‘THE DINER’, ‘ilomilo’, and early smash-hit ‘bad guy’ contributed to a portion of the show characterised by sinister eeriness that was heightened by Eilish persistently staring down a camera lens, red lighting manipulating her image and causing her eyes to appear as black holes. Moving on, Eilish levitated above the crowd on a platform as she reached the bridge of ‘THE GREATEST’, showcasing impressive vocals that wouldn’t have been expected, nor anticipated, at the beginning of her career. The song provided a cinematic highlight within the set, gradually building as its lyrics escalated to a point of desperation.
“If you have a seat and you want to use it, you’re more than welcome to”, Eilish noted before beginning a string of slower songs initiated by ‘Your Power’, an inspection of abusive relationships and romantic age gaps. ‘SKINNY’ followed, bringing a tear to the eye of many in attendance with its vulnerable reflection on body image and societal pressures. The song opens Hit Me Hard and Soft with a sensitive punch, ruminating on insecurity with an openness so striking that it’s almost surprising that Eilish chooses to include it in live setlists.
Manchester has always been a special place for Billie Eilish: one of her first UK shows was at Manchester Academy in February 2019, and three years later she debuted ‘TV’ at AO Arena, marking her first live performance of an unreleased track in five years. ‘TV’ features the crowd’s singing at her two Happier Than Ever tour shows as background vocals, and while this song was swapped out for ‘Halley’s Comet’ this time around, it still serves as a testament to the place Manchester holds in Eilish’s heart.
During her first Co-Op Live appearance, Eilish teased a project in collaboration with Oscar-winning director James Cameron which was being filmed in the arena across her four shows, claiming “I can’t say much about it”. Whatever materialises from the footage collected, the choice of Manchester once again confirms the importance of our city to a star like Billie Eilish.
“Thank you for having me all these nights in Manchester, this tour has been so wonderful and amazing, and it’s coming to an end”, Eilish stated, before reinforcing the sense of community her shows bring: “if you’re in here, I hope you feel free to be yourself”. ‘bury a friend’ and ‘Oxytocin’ saw the crowd back on its feet, before Eilish made her way to a B-stage to perform her remix of Charli xcx’s BRAT deluxe track, ‘Guess’. As Charli’s face appeared on the screens throughout the arena, and her voice could be heard over the speakers asking “hey Billie, you there?”, the crowd’s excitement was palpable. The song’s inclusion in Eilish’s live setlist speaks to her ability to transcend and transform genre, moving from acoustic deep cuts to electro-pop to all-out electroclash thanks to production from The Dare.
Eilish remained on her B-stage to perform ‘everything i wanted’, before a run back to the main stage incited the excitement of fans stood at the set-up’s many barriers, all wanting to hold her hand for a fleeting moment. The obsession and dedication of her fanbase remained evident throughout the show: all it took was one glimpse, or a point towards an area of the crowd, for Eilish to produce what may have been the loudest screams Co-Op Live has heard.
Towards the end of ‘lovely’, screams resumed as the audience began to spot Eilish’s brother and frequent collaborator FINNEAS arriving onstage. Three years ago, this wouldn’t have been such a big deal: FINNEAS used to appear at every Billie Eilish show, providing guitar and backing vocals, but has since moved towards a focus on his solo career and new duo The Favors, which he has started alongside alternative pop maestro Ashe. FINNEAS stayed for a performance ‘idontwannabeyouanymore’ and ‘ocean eyes’, helping to transport the crowd back to 2017 with this selection of tracks from Eilish’s debut EP dont smile at me.
Eilish was raised above the crowd once again for ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’, incorporating the ‘Over Now’ extended edit which was released shortly after Hit Me Hard and Soft was released and the song began to gain attention. Beginning as a soft-toned, jazzy lamentation on the loss of its titular love, the track eventually bursts with a blast of synths and electronic drums, and was thus guaranteed to provide another live highlight. The centrepiece of 2023’s Barbie soundtrack, ‘What Was I Made For?’, followed, briefly slowing the show’s pace with a reflection on purposefulness that was greeted with a hushed singalong, and plenty of tears.
‘Happier Than Ever’ is always sure to provide a moment of catharsis, whether it is screamed in the car, shower, bedroom, or an arena with 23,499 other Billie Eilish fans. Although the show’s only disappointment came with the fact that the song was shortened for her live set, Eilish made up for it by inviting FINNEAS to return to play its guitar parts. Her brother remained onstage through recent hit ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’ which closed the show with apt lyrics such as “I want you to stay”, confetti in the shape of Eilish’s signature Blohsh logo hitting at the final “I’ll love you ‘til the day that I die”.
As Eilish lingered onstage to the tune of Hit Me Hard and Soft closer ‘BLUE’ (and the accompanying screams of her dedicated fanbase), a look of genuine love and gratitude adorned her face. It was evident, however, that this was also a moment of immense triumph and pride. Since the dont smile at me days, she has experienced astounding growth as a person, performer and artist, and in 2025 it goes without saying: Billie Eilish may well be the best popstar of our generation.
