BILLIE EILISH AT UNION TRANSFER IN PHILADELPHIA, PA
Billie Eilish rolled through Philadelphia this past weekend to play a sold out show at Union Transfer as part of her 1 By 1 Tour. The room was filled with fans of all ages who enthusiastically piled into the room to dance and sing along to the tracks they love. Excitement filled the air from the minute the show started and the energy never died down until the minute it ended. Each musical act was so impressive for its own reasons and I’m happy to have gotten the chance to experience it.
Opening for Billie Eilish was Finneas, who happens to be her older brother as well as the guitarist of her band. Finneas’ set was so simple, yet powerful. He is a solo performer, using only his keyboard or guitar in addition to his voice. Finneas’ tone is incredibly impressive and his voice has a sultry quality to it. From the minute he took the stage he had fans screaming with joy. For the most part his set felt very lowkey, up until the end when he used a loop over himself and midi for an electronic based sound. I thoroughly enjoyed Finneas’ set and his amazing voice.
Taking the stage next was Childish Major who did an astonishing job of hyping up the crowd and energizing them. He took the stage and made sure the audience knew there was one rule for the night: “We are all one”. Throughout his set he started a couple audience chants to exclaim phrases such as “WOOSAH” and “I love you squad!” As a rapper, Childish Major exhibited a great flow and smooth transitions. He definitely did a great job of getting the audience on their feet and moving.
Headlining the show was Billie Eilish, who took the stage to a room full of people screaming her name. The 16 year old singer/songwriter has already accomplished so much at such a young age and it’s clear why. Her performance felt so fun and carefree. She is very active on stage and has a powerful presence; running around, dancing, and interacting with audience members whenever she can. Her stage setup was an incredibly large spider that spanned the space of the stage and feature light up eyes. Her guitarist and drummer each took a place under a set of legs that acted as an archway. The entire setup was so aesthetically pleasing to look at. Billie performed hits such as “Party Favor”, “Lovely”, and “Ocean Eyes”. In between songs she had music playing in the background such as the Wii Theme. Towards the end of her set she had the room howling with laughter after someone threw their shoe up on stage and she exclaimed, “Why the fuck you’d do that? It’s mine now bitch” before trying to return the shoe and receiving the matching one as well.
If you ever get the chance to catch Billie Eilish, I would highly recommend you scoop your tickets up early. Billie sold out her One by One Tour and I can definitely see this happening again next time she comes around. She’s a very talented musician and she puts on a great show.
Nicole DiBenedetto is a photographer based out of New Jersey. She likes making new friends and meeting new people so catch her out in the pit and say hi!