On a flight into Orlando on Tuesday morning, the retiree sitting beside me asked what I was doing that night.
“Going to a Billie Eilish concert,” I said brightly, helpfully (and I hope not condescendingly) adding “She’s a pop singer.”
“Oh, I know,” my seatmate replied. “I saw her on ‘CBS Sunday Morning.’ It’ll be a good concert, she’s deep.”
She was right: It was a good concert, better than good, actually. And no matter how one feels about Eilish’s brand of angsty-anxious pop, there’s no denying she’s deeply committed to causes that matter to her — something that obviously caught the eye of CBS News.
Her influence was felt before she even took the stage for a tight 90-minute set that at times felt like a fervent call to the faithful. A preshow video laid out things her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour has been doing to reduce its environmental impact: Everything from recycling the vinyl and fabrics that are in the merchandise to cutting water consumption to offering plant-based options at concession stands.
Sure enough, fans were lined up for panini with marinated tofu and artichokes, tempura Brussels sprouts or “Sprout About It” tacos. (There were a few brave traditionalists eating chicken fingers, too.)
Support and Feed, an advocacy group promoting plant-based food to combat hunger and climate change, had a booth in Orlando’s Kia Center, and this was the type of show where a land acknowledgment was made to the Seminole, Mascogo and Miccosukee peoples.
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To those who would trot out the tired and inane comment “Go woke, go broke,” I must point out that the lines of fans buying T-shirts, albums, posters and the like — not to mention the line of last-minute ticket buyers outside the arena — say otherwise.
And just look at the records she has broken.
Eilish is the youngest artist to win the “Triple Crown” of awards for movie music, taking home an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy for her James Bond song “No Time To Die.” Then, she became the youngest two-time Oscar winner, taking home another statue for “What Was I Made For?” from the hit “Barbie” movie — a song that showed off her vocal prowess on Tuesday night.
Billie Eilish performs at the Kia Center in Orlando on Oct. 14, 2025. (Courtesy Henry Hwu)
Eilish is the youngest artist to have an album debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and holds the record for the most simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist. She’s also the only woman to win all four major Grammy Awards in a single year: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
Critics call her the musical voice of a new generation, and the young fans who hang on her every word back that up.
They sang along to hit after hit, like “The Greatest” and “TV” — the thousands of voices adding warm support and a kind of cathartic emotional urgency on top of Eilish’s vocals. In total command, she brilliantly made the introspective lyrics of her songs keep their sense of intimacy, even in a venue as large as the Kia Center. And the arrangements of many of the tunes let them expand to fill the space — even without the barrage of lasers, fire and video projections that were employed.
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Onstage, Eilish focused on music rather than social messaging, though she confessed it felt surreal to be enjoying the tour — which began in the fall of 2024 in Canada before continuing to the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan — while “the world is just in a horrible place.”
“It’s weird to have this false reality,” she said of her tour bubble. “I just want to acknowledge that.”
Eilish, 23, dedicated “Your Power” to “all those who are suffering in the world” and told the audience, “I hope this makes you feel safe.”
At a concert Tuesday at Orlando’s Kia Center, Billie Eilish displayed a powerful connection with her fans. (Courtesy Henry Hwu)
Other highlights: A zippy “Bad Boy” that had concertgoers jumping up and down in an adulatory frenzy, a rip-roaring “Guess,” a perky “Birds of a Feather” and a beautifully subdued “Ocean Eyes” that demonstrated her range and then swelled musically alongside the projected waves.
“Bury a Friend” featured an insistent beat that dug right into the soul, and such is Eilish’s command of her fans — perhaps acolytes is a better word — that she successfully silenced the entire Kia Center to record vocal loops she used to augment an emotionally pointed “When the Party’s Over.”
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Opening act Young Miko, a Puerto Rican rapper, revved up the crowd with her 40-minute in-the-flow set, bopping through hits like “Classy 101” and “Wassup” and energizing concertgoers to throw their hands in the air.
Eilish gave her a shoutout, as well as her parents and older brother, Finneas O’Connell, who takes the lead on writing and producing her songs.
But her most devoted connection may be with those cheering fans: “I’ll always be a voice for you…,” she told them. “I’ll fight for you … I got you … I love you.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.
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