For my birthday this past year there was just one thing I wanted: tickets to see Billie Eilish. I started listening to her music a little over a year ago, and as soon as I heard it I fell in love. Eilish incorporates styles of all different genres into her music and has a beautiful and unique singing voice. I had been dying to see her live since the first time I heard her sing.
When I went home to see my family for my birthday back in October, it looked like I was going to get that chance. My brother, after telling me he wasn’t able to get tickets, surprised me by wrapping up the tickets in a flat, square piece of cardboard to make me believe he had gotten me a vinyl record. There it was, in my hands: Billie Eilish tickets. My brother and I were going to see Billie Eilish on Thursday, March 19. I began counting down the days and I would constantly text my brother. 159 days until Billie Eilish. 126 days until Billie Eilish. 74 days until Billie Eilish. Then, as early March crept into the picture, the chance I would get to see Billie Eilish started to slip away.
As COVID-19 reached the state of a global pandemic, all concerts, performances, sports events and any kind of large gatherings were canceled. In other words, March 19 came and went and I didn’t get to see Billie Eilish. In fact, Eilish only performed two shows before her entire tour was postposted. The good news is that the concert was not outright canceled. Eilish said she plans on rescheduling the tour once the COVID-19 crisis is over. That is something I feel very thankful for. “I’m so sad to do this, but we need to postpone these dates to keep everyone safe. We’ll let you know when they can be rescheduled. Please keep yourselves healthy. I love you,” Eilish said.
However, not everyone has been as lucky as I have. While the majority of artists have made the decision to postpone shows until a later date, some have gone ahead and canceled their performances. The Jonas Brothers canceled shows in Las Vegas from April 1 to April 18, while Madonna canceled the final two performances on her tour.
Although I am heartbroken I was not able to see Billie Eilish, I understand the safety concerns. I believe Eilish and the TD Garden made the right decision in postponing the show. Right now, the safety and wellbeing of every person should be our number one priority. If that means we have to wait a few more months to see our favorite artists then so be it.
While listening to music in our homes doesn’t even compare to seeing performers live, we are all just going to have to deal with it. This is a time to be considerate of the danger you could put another person in by simply leaving your house. I waited 159 days to see Billie Eilish, and I could wait another 1,000 if that’s what it takes to keep people safe.
Erin McNemar can be contacted at
emcnemar@kscequinox.com
