Billie Eilish delivers a rare acoustic performance at Telekom Forum, Germany
It’s not every day you get the chance to see a multi-platinum, Oscar award-winning artist in a scenario where it’s just them, their voice and a couple of instruments with no production value or theatrics. Usually, Eilish exudes energy and parades around the stage in whatever baggy ensemble she picks out for herself, so it’s hard to imagine her without all the added extras. Luckily, she’s suited to the intimacy just as much as she is to the madness.
In collaboration with Telekom Electronic Beats, Billie returned to Germany to perform in front of a crowd of around 2,000 people. Granted, that’s still a lot of people – but for an artist with multiple sold-out arena tours, this is the equivalent of an impromptu performance in a bar. “This is cute” Eilish says a few times throughout the show and it’s the perfect description for this up close and personal offering.
Throughout the hour or so runtime, Eilish runs through a selection of her biggest and most memorable tracks. Most of the setlist is made up of tracks from her latest album Happier Than Ever and those ballads are almost made for an occasion like this. Her whispery yet powerful vocals cut through the room impressively and display what a captivating vocalist she truly is. She also took the time to go back to 2017’s Don’t Smile At Me EP, performing a stunning rendition of fan favourite ‘idontwannabeyouanymore’. Eilish’s openness with her mental health struggles recently only adds to the poignant sombreness of the cut.
Although, there are times when you miss the heavy 808s vibrating throughout the room and some songs are just much more suited to that environment. When Eilish performs Bad Guy you can’t help but wish for a bit more unhinged energy that she’s mastered. However, it is intriguing to see it in this new context, fans subtly sing along instead of scream, and Eilish trades in a stall for her usual rowdiness. It’s still incredibly impressive to take such a layered song and strip it all the way to bare bones and have it still sound just as at home.
Eilish keeps interaction to a minimum throughout the evening, although, at one point, in typical Eilish fashion she manages to get a laugh from the crowd. “It looks like my flies unzipped but it’s not. Just thought you should know.” She says with a notable grin on her face. At one point the singer reaches down and receives a Ukrainian flag from a fan, wrapping it around her while she still performs, much to the delight of everyone. One of the reasons Eilish has become so successful is her lovable relatability, you feel like you know her and this show only strengthens that.
