Review of “Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, Newark”.

Billie Eilish is young, talented and has a pretty good poker face too.

Eilish noted onstage at her Prudential Center show on Wednesday, October 9 in Newark that her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour was the first without her brother and collaborator Finneas O'Connell.

“It's the first time I've had a full band,” said Eilish, 22. “It's always been my brother Finneas – this is the first tour without him. “I love you, Finneas!”

O'Connell released a solo album last week called “For Cryin' Out Loud!” and was actually off stage in Newark for most of the show. But about 15 minutes after Eilish said she missed her big brother, he came out with his guitar for two closing songs, the rocker “Happier Than Ever” and the sweet, uplifting new ballad “Birds of a Feather.”

Eilish and O'Connell looked like Richards and Wood, with pyrotechnic flashes accentuating their power chords. The two crossed their guitars and then lifted them to “Happier Than Ever” as the crowd cheered.

The end was a true highlight of a dynamic hour and forty minutes of Eillish's genre-bending music, ranging from minimalist electro-pop to booming EDM to vocal ballads and more. Eilish, whose Newark audience consisted largely of young women, is convincing on several levels.

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She has a distinctive, sonorous voice and also quite a stage presence. Elish delivered “The Greatest” from latest album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” with a gorgeously breathy vocal run while lying on a floating platform with her head hanging down and her right leg hanging down.

This means taking command of a stage.

Eilish and her band were on a rectangular, floor-length stage with several floating video screens and two band pits. The stage floor itself produced video images and could become very vibrant in color, such as striking reds and yellows for the daring “lunch.” Most of the time, the stage colors set the tone with darker aqua blues and shades of gray to match the tone of the lyrics and music.

Much of the music has an avant-garde, jazzy quality embedded in the songs. Feelings are more important than form and Eilish pushes the boundaries of pop stardom. One downside is that while the bass is fine on the higher tempo EDM-heavy songs, it booms too loudly in the mix on the softer ballads, which undermines the mood.

Still, Eilish is a phenomenon. Onstage at the Prudential Center, where the Nets played before moving to Brooklyn, she wore big New Jersey Nets shirts and baggy shorts. Eilish knows the terrain. At the end of the show, she sat on stage and sang her “Barbie” hit “What Was I Made For” as the packed arena sang along.

“I will always be here for you,” Eilish said before the song.

Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour Setlist: Newark

Chihiro
Lunch
NDA
That's why I am
Wildflower
When the party is over
The diner
Ilomilo
Bad guy
The greatest
Male fantasy
Slim
TV
Bitter suite
Bury a friend
Oxytocin
You should see me in a crowd
Guess
Everything I wanted
Blue
Nice
I don't want to be you anymore
Ocean eyes
L'amour de ma vie
What was I created for?
Happier than ever
Birds of a Feather

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Chris Jordan is a Jersey Shore native who covers entertainment and features for USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected].

Review of “Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, Newark”.

ByVanessa

Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour Setlist: Newark

By Vanessa

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