Billie Eilish overwhelms and moves the Unipol Arena

Bologna, June 8, 2025 – The intimacy of someone who is singing in their bedroom and the energy of someone who, instead, manages to overwhelm a completely sold out Unipol Arena: Billie Eilish returns to Italy six years after her last date in Milan, for the first time in Bologna, in front of fifteen thousand fans who – a year ago – sold out all the tickets in a few minutes from the announcement of the “Hit Me Hard and Soft: the Tour”, dedicated to the album of the same name, which in just one year climbed all the world charts. Between iconic songs that were popular on the radio and on social media, and other more niche ones, the American singer born in 2001 overwhelmed Unipol with a truly heterogeneous show.

The setlist, in fact, went through different sounds, with dance rhythms that made the audience go wild and slow, emotional and touching ballads. The concert was opened by Tom Odell, acclaimed by the audience during all his performances, up to his iconic “Another Love”. “It’s my first time in Bologna , and it’s really wonderful,” he said, thanking the city. Overwhelmed by the applause, he leaves the stage – and that’s when she enters. A huge white cube lights up the scene, and from a platform suspended above it, Billie Eilish appears, greeted by an ovation.

The energetic notes of “Chihiro”, one of the most famous songs from the latest album, kick off the show, then the setlist continues with the hits from Hit Me Hard and Soft and songs from past years, far from forgotten: from “Bad Guy” to “Ocean Eyes”, “Therefore I Am”, “Bury a Friend”. Past and present, and an alternation of dance rhythms and intimate atmospheres: the first minute of “When the Party's Over” was performed with a very delicate voice loop, in absolute silence after the singer's request. Then songs performed with just guitar and voice in acoustic, moments in which Billie Eilish was simply sitting on the floor on stage, a few meters from her audience, and songs that moved everyone.

But Billie Eilish also made the whole Unipol dance, danced suspended in the air on a platform, played the electric guitar, led the audience in choreographies, came down to the audience to give high fives to the fans in the front row, with an energy and freshness that fully reflect her twenty-three years. Games of lights and fireworks, colorful videos on the big screens, lit torches, choreographies: a spectacular show from every point of view. After a two-hour concert, thanks: to her parents, her brother, the band, the technicians, Tom Odell and, of course, the audience and Bologna: “I'm so happy to be back in Italy, and this is my first time in this city: thank you so much to everyone, Love you so much.” Grand finale with one of the most loved songs from the new album, “Birds of a Feather”, amid a shower of confetti and applause and screams from the fans.

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