Live Review: Billie Eilish, Dora Jar

Billie Eilish had just three rules for the 18,000-strong crowd that packed into Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Tuesday night.

“Don’t be an asshole, don’t judge anyone and have fun.”

If the school night scenes at Homebush were anything to go by, these words were more mantra than gimmicky stipulation for the next generation of music fans - a crop as dedicated and eager as any subculture before them, regardless of what any purist might say.

Many keyboard warriors and cultural gatekeepers have been quick to join in the cyber-assault of TikTokers and Gen Z concertgoers stanning, worshipping and adoring stars that bask in the glow of artists such as Eilish.

Of course, the adoration showered on the star by millions of teens and tweens is no different to the giddy-eyed, slack-jawed reverence bestowed upon other music icons over the years.

But such scoffing was mercifully absent on Tuesday evening, with many punters eagerly throwing themselves into the same rituals of any other stadium-sized rock'n'roll show.

Lines snaking through the foyer of the venue for merchandise priced well north of $100, starry-eyed children with their equally excitable parents ready for the greatest night of their lives, and strangers striking up friendships in toilet queues, based on a mere love of music; the cultural revolution that Eilish leads might look and sound (slightly) different from eons gone by, but the magic is the same.

A good eighty per cent of the crowd is already crammed onto the floor and in the stalls of the arena when support act Dora Jar takes the stage, another example of a dream-pop bedroom project that industry personnel have rolled the dice on in the desperate hope of unearthing another talent akin to the evening's headliner.

That’s not to say Dora Jar’s set was lacklustre or artificial. 

The North Californian drifted through a beautiful 45-minute set of solo singer-songwriter material, with lo-fi synths mixing with swelling guitars to set the scene for what was to come.

Pic by Mark Metcalfe

That portal to the mystical world of something undeniable burst open with the entrance of Billie Eilish, back on Australian soil for the first time in nearly half a decade.

So much has changed since the singer’s last fateful visit, which saw her perform at the Hordern Pavilion, a venue now synonymous with hosting acts at the tipping point of world domination.

Going from DIY pop sensation to stadium-selling superstar and the voice of an increasingly vocal and excitable generation, Eilish has become a cultural figurehead.

However, despite being caught in the drip of the dizzying heights of fame, things are very much still a family affair onstage.

With the same live line-up as her last world tour - brother Finneas O'Connell on synths, bass and guitar, and Andrew Marshall on drums - there’s a sense of warmth and intimacy between the three musicians rarely seen at pop shows of this scale.

However, the love felt between performers in no way detracted from the menace of the opening number Bury A Friend, with the singer prowling around the stage and allowing the frenzied crowd to do most of the work for her.

Pic by Mark Metcalfe

It was a smart move, given it was the first of what was a whopping 25-song set.

As is the habit with most cutting-edge artists, nostalgia was few and far between, with a vast majority of Happier Than Ever receiving a live airing.

From the seductive sway of Billie Bossa Nova to the pulsating funk of I Didn’t Change My Number, the drive of Oxytocin, and early highlight TV, Eilish’s contemporary work was received with the same fervour as old favourites All The Good Girls Go To Hell and a mishmash of Bellyache, Ocean Eyes and Bored.

Moving between the main stage and a B-stage equipped with a balcony, the show was designed with all fans in mind; Eilish’s balcony regularly ascended high crowd for the nosebleed seats to feel the same level of connection to her as those squished against the front barricade.

Despite running for over two hours, there was no sense of things stagnating or dipping in intensity.

A perfectly placed acoustic set - consisting of the aforementioned TV, i love you, and Your Power afforded a handy chance to snap off a few Instagram stories, but things quickly returned to full velocity.

“If you have a problem and you want to scream about it, just scream,” Eilish told the crowd at the mid-way point.

And scream they did - audience members of all ages, roaring cathartically along to every word of a musician producing artistic pop with a desperately needed sense of genuity. 

Of course, like any live show, things didn’t go entirely to plan.

The opening strains of when the party's over were accompanied by a rather bizarre montage of a car bursting into flames - an accidental slip-up, with the graphics for bad guy accidentally playing behind the tender number.

The hiccup prompted only laughter and smiles from the star - this may be a show designed to be executed meticulously but, as with life, shit happens.

Pic by Matty Vogel

By the time the streamers fell on the pulsating mass heaving to the finale of closing salvo bad guy and Happier Than Ever there was no denying that Billie Eilish was as much a rockstar as any guitar hero before her.

With only two albums and a handful of EPs to her name, the singer has cemented herself as not just a viral hit, but an artistic force to be reckoned with, both on and off the stage.

With no visible symptoms of burnout from her gruelling touring schedule - the singer constantly threw herself over the barricades into the arms of fans and was unable to wipe a gleeful grin off her face as she danced around the stage - Eilish is also providing the soundtrack for a culture of live music.

Significantly less alcohol cleared the bar for this arena show, creating a far safer atmosphere, with the mostly younger crowd opting to dance and sing the night away, sober and happy.

With a majority of fans armed with their phone and voice - the former to capture memories, the latter to sing with the same passion and conviction as millions of concert-goers in decades gone by - Eilish’s legions were treated to a show as good as any ever seen in the Harbour City. 

For one night, Sydney became the epi-centre of music’s brave new world.

That world, for the first time in a long time, now resembles an age most wish they could have been around to see.

Thank god artists like Billie Eilish can still inspire the same sense of wonder and excitement in live music older generations so fondly speak of.