‘Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)’ has packed into theatres this week, taking fans from the barrier to a front row seat worldwide to experience the adrenaline of the young musician’s latest global run. Co-directed by legendary filmmaker, James Cameron, the Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour was captured across four nights in Manchester in 2025. The event undeniably lives up to its title, plunging us into emotional turbulence of the experience that championed 106 dates to showcase Eilish’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.
The film opens 18 hours before showtime, with a time-lapse of the venue transforming from a blank canvas into a living organism. The heart of the living organism? It quickly proves to be Billie’s relationship with her fans. “It just feels like I’m hanging out with my friends,” she shares about how she feels on show day. Her understanding of the entire show experience is a real force behind the connection, coming down to Billie’s bottom line: “I want to be an artist that I would be a fan of”.
Her care for the production is reflected in her creative vision and collaboration with the crew. We see Billie sitting in the stands typing feedback in her notes app. Soundcheck doubles as a run for preparing film direction. Every song soaks the space in a colour that evokes a fresh feeling, creating “the best kind of sensory overload you can get.” The 3D technique on this project captures a degree of immersion that’s fresh for a concert film – offering a true seat for every section of the arena (and backstage). We even get a glimpse of Billie and James sitting in their 3D glasses, which made the cinema chuckle.
It’s the album concept brought to life as the setlist swings between intensity and stillness, celebration and vulnerability. One moment, Billie is sprinting around the stage during tracks like ‘bury a friend’, feeding off the frenzy of the crowd. We see her leaning into her command from all angles, including a striking subordination of the camera during ‘bad guy’. Next, she’s under a spotlight and sat on a stool, face-to-face with her backing vocalists, Jane and Ava, for an acoustic performance of ‘Your Power,’ one of the film’s most intimate compositions.
Through it all, it’s pretty much just Billie up there, supported by her band who she introduces by name. The minimalist staging of this tour paves way for wider conversation about Billie’s approach to her artistry that’s woven throughout the film. Billie offers her candid ethos on performance as a reconciliation of art, gender, and expectation. She describes the energetic inspiration from the male approaches to artistry and performance (particularly in the genres hip-hop, rap and R&B) that she witnessed growing up. “The freedom of being a guy on stage” has a palpable simplicity in connecting with the crowd that quickly muddies with elaborate expectations of femininity, desirability, and stardom.
In this show, we see Billie embody a stripped production that affords her the authenticity to feel like herself on stage. It’s a rollercoaster of parties and pauses, an expert finesse in crafting the emotional journey of Billie’s discography in all its nuances.360-degree shots of ‘THE GREATEST’ bridge catapult us to the throes of its catharsis. Phone torches bloom across the arena field for ‘WILDFLOWER’, which the crowd carries through to an acapella outro on their own. Hit Me Hard and Soft is also coursing with the electricity of the huge cultural moments Billie has been instrumental in through recent years. ‘Guess’ storms the B-stage (B for Brat) as the crowd erupts, transforming the arena into a club, while Barbie’s ‘What Was I Made For?’ proves evergreen in moving the crowd in a different way.
Audience participation and a marked outpouring of emotion is a true counterpart in building the live experience together here. The volume is there for every song, an energy that Billie doesn’t take for granted. “You’re safe here,” she affirms between songs, “you’re seen, I hope you feel comfortable to be yourself.” It’s a sentiment echoed by fans who shared their experiences on-screen. Cameron aptly compares the relationship between Billie and the crowd to a tuning fork: “you hit the beats, and they’re right there with you.”
This concert film experience gives us an insight into the physical and emotional investment Billie pours into her performance, and the visceral atmosphere created in the arena night after night. The Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour was a milestone for Billie, in her impressive self-determined artistry this run also marked her first time touring without her older brother and longtime collaborator, Finneas. Billie shares the letter he sent her on opening night in Quebec, how he treasures watching his sister “hold every person who comes to [her] show in the palm of [her] hand.” It’s truly a joy to take a seat and witness Billie take the stage, and take you along with her.
You can watch ‘Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)’ in theatres now and shop the exclusive live vinyl here.
