When I was in sixth grade my parents banned me from YouTube because I was spending too much time watching Billie Eilish videos, so it’s safe to say I’ve been a hardcore fan for a while. Flash forward seven years and although I’m not spending a concerning amount of hours a day watching concert clips and interviews, she still remains one of my favorite artists. However, despite being a fan for years, I never had the opportunity to go to any of her tours or see her live.
Last November, the announcement of the concert film Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (live in 3D) was announced shortly after she concluded the year long tour for her Grammy nominated third studio album. This gave millions of fans hope that they would still be able to witness a tour that they weren’t physically present for.Â
Teaming up with legendary director James Cameron, the two created an immersive concert film with 3D technology to deliver a never before seen theater experience to moviegoers.
Me and my friends who were also huge fans, some who had actually attended the concert in person and others who hadn’t, snagged tickets for a 3D showing on May 7th a day after the Los Angeles premiere.Â
Coincidentally the day before, after learning that the premiere was held at the iconic Fox Westwood Village Theater (only a fifteen minute walk from our UCLA dorms), we decided to wander around in hopes of seeing some celebrities attending the premiere. We ended up not only seeing several influencers and celebrities walk the premiere carpet but also Billie Eilish herself, even ending up in a group selfie with her and several other fans. If we’re being honest I’m pretty sure I’ll be bragging about it for the rest of my life.Â
The next day, still buzzing from the experience of seeing Billie smile and wave to us in person (eleven year old me would be sobbing hysterically) we headed down to the AMC in Century City for the 6:30 pm showing. In the mall there was also a special pop-up store to coincide with the film’s release with exclusive merch and photo ops which was pretty cool and got us even more hyped for the movie.
Upon arriving at our theater we were handed 3D glasses and special limited edition posters which I immediately put up on my wall upon returning back to my dorm. After previews the almost two hour long concert film started, plunging us into an incredible concert experience that was so real it felt like we were physically there in the concert arena.
While the film was mostly a recording of the concert, it was interspersed with moments showing the preparation it took to put on the show complete with candid conversations with Billie surrounding touring and fame and sweet moments with fans, giving a comprehensive and deep look into everything that goes into concerts and tours behind the scenes.
During the filming of live shows for the movie, cameras were placed everywhere on stage. The result during the film was a combination of feeling like the audience was immersed within the crowd while also being up close and personal with Billie Eilish on stage. Other times, a handheld camera was used to see the concert from Billie’s perspective that the crowd didn’t get to see, including running under the stage and hiding in boxes for the intro. The 3D elements made me feel like I could reach out and touch the crowd as if they were next to me and at one point when confetti was falling in the film I had to check to make sure confetti wasn’t actually falling in the theatre.
Being able to see some of my favorite songs performed alongside insanely cool visuals was incredible and I was mesmerized the whole time. The only downside of the film was that it made me even more sad that I couldn’t attend the tour in person, but this was the next best thing. My sixth grade self who spent too many hours watching unsteady concert footage on YouTube would be ecstatic that this film exists, and I highly recommend it to any fans who missed out on attending the tour or anyone who went and wants to relive that night.Â