Billie Eilish says performing three-hour concerts is ‘literally psychotic’: ‘Nobody wants that’
Billie Eilish has rejected the possibility of giving fans a three-hour concert, saying that “nobody wants that”.
The “LUNCH” pop star, 22, was recently answering fan questions live on the music app Stationhead when she made the definitive statement.
“I’m not doing a three-hour show, that’s literally psychotic,” Eilish can be heard saying in a recording posted to X.
“Nobody wants that. You guys don’t want that. I don’t want that. I don’t even want that as a fan. My favorite artist in the world, I’m not trying to hear them for three hours. That’s far too long”
While Eilish’s remarks weren’t aimed at any artist in particular, some Taylor Swift fans interpreted them to be a subtle criticism of Swift’s Eras Tour concerts, which clocks in at three hours in length.
However, others defended Eilish, pointing out that the “Ocean Eyes” singer has previously praised Swift and Beyoncé for their ability to put on lengthy shows.
“I find it really hard to play stadiums,” the singer told the Los Angeles Times last October. “Beyoncé and Taylor [Swift] are untouchable superstars; the fact that they can put on a show that long, and it’s filled with so many incredible moments, is really amazing.”
Billie Eilish seemingly shares her thoughts on Stationhead about ‘The Eras Tour’ and ‘The Renaissance Tour’ earlier today, the only recent high-profile tours to span 3 or more hours:
"Doing a 3 hour show.. That's literally psychotic. Nobody wants that. You guys don't want that.… pic.twitter.com/X9GQlgXBvf— Taylor Swift Updates 🩶 (@swifferupdates) May 24, 2024
Eilish’s comments come just over a week after she released her new 10-track record, Hit Me Hard and Soft. The artist’s album, which debuted at No 2 on the Billboard 200, was praised by The Independent’s Helen Brown for being “equal parts sighing and squalling”.
It “whispers its way through a marvellous maze of music to deliver some big emotional wallops”, Brown wrote.
Ahead of the album’s release, Eilish also announced that she would be embarking on a world tour later this year.
The Hit Me Hard and Soft tour will begin its North American leg in September at Centre Videotron in Quebec, Canada. Eilish will perform a run of shows in the US and Canada until December this year, before heading to Australia in February 2025.
Her European dates will be held in April next year, beginning at Sweden’s Avicii Arena in Stockholm then taking in shows at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena from 7-8 July, before six nights at London’s O2 Arena from 10 July, then Manchester and Dublin.
Eilish has said that her latest body of work should be listened to chronologically, as it “hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way”.