Billie Eilish in Paramount Pictures Presents
A Lightstorm Earth Production / The Darkroom / Interscope Films Production of
“BILLIE EILISH HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR (LIVE IN 3D)” | © 2026 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Following the success of Billie Eilish’s third album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” and its subsequent two-year tour, Eilish worked together with director James Cameron to capture the experience in 3D.“Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D” releases in theaters on Friday. The film shows songs from the Manchester stop on her tour with small interview clips and vulnerable behind-the-scenes shots of her tour experience.
Between expensive ticket prices and instantaneous social media posting, both of which seem to be constantly increasing, the ways that fans can experience bits and pieces of concerts have changed in recent years. If it were up to me, the 3D concert experience is the next best thing to being at the live event.
Eilish is not the first artist to do a tour documentary in this fashion, showing not only the process of setting up the tour but also showcasing the performance itself. Taylor Swift’s “Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour” documentary from 2023 is a great example of this style of immersive documentary/concert movie. Apple Music Live also has a similar collection of recorded concerts. But this is the first of these experiences to utilize 3D technology, which made a more significant difference than I was expecting.
When Eilish initially announced her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, I knew I needed to be there. If you know me at all, you know concerts are one of my favorite things in the world, so even though I was unable to secure tickets when they initially went on sale, I did buy resale tickets. But I waited and waited, hoping that ticket prices would go down; that I wouldn’t have to pay $150+ per ticket, just to get in the room. That didn’t happen.
Many fans of the biggest touring artists in the world, like Bad Bunny, Beyonce and more, are being priced out of being able to go to their concerts. Resellers and dynamic pricing – where resellers change the price of the ticket based on things like days until the concert – have caused concert tickets to skyrocket. According to Pollstar and TodayUSA, the average concert ticket price in 2024 was $135.92, up $53.85 from 10 years prior. Going to a concert shouldn’t cause this much headache, but until the concert ticket market levels out, “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” presented a unique and sufficient solution to concert FOMO.
James Cameron, left, and Billie Eilish on the set of Paramount Pictures PresentsA Lightstorm Earth Production / The Darkroom / Interscope Films Production of“BILLIE EILISH HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: THE TOUR (LIVE IN 3D)” | © 2026 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
So, in October of 2024, I bought the cheapest, though still overpriced, ticket I could find and sat in the last row of Ball Arena. And still, that concert was one of the best I have ever been to, hands down. Despite the extensive range of emotions and overall vibes in her discography, Eilish was able to play the quintessential songs from her newest album, cult-classic songs, like “bury a friend” and “ilomilo”, and fan-favorite singles like her collab on Charli XCX’s “Guess” and “What Was I Made For?” The 360 stage, huge screens and elaborate laser show made the concert a blast even from the back of the arena.
From the minute the lights went down in the theater in May of 2026 and Eilish’s tour intro began pumping through the speakers, I was brought right back into Ball Arena. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I watched a 3D movie in the theaters, but the use of this technology is vital in immersing fans into the concert. Eilish does such a good job of building an atmosphere – visuals, lighting, audio, interaction – in her shows and in giving her directorial power in the tour documentary, this atmosphere continued into the film. A personal highlight was the clips recorded from a mid-audience 3D camera, giving the effect of standing right in the pit being able to see the people recording their phones in front of you.
Even though I was at the physical concert, I had a completely different experience watching the film because, being so far back in the venue, there are small things you miss: knowing looks between Eilish and her band, funny little missteps, fans’ raw reactions. Things that make live music so special. “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D” lessened the gap between time, space and frankly money, and is a must watch for any Billie Eilish fan.
Contact Assistant Arts Editor Addisson Pribble at Addisson.pribble@colorado.edu
