We Are in Our Concert Film Era (and Billie Eilish Is Shaping It)

For many of us, the summer of 2026 was all about watching the World Cup. But as the tournament started, my TikTok For You Page instantly filled up with music fans who remembered those massive stadiums all too well. And if you’re anything like me, all you could really think about was The Eras Tour. (Forgive me for constantly checking which seats would have been perfect for Taylor!) From watching Taylor perform ‘Getaway Car’ alongside Jack Antonoff to admiring the gold reputation bodysuit for the very first time, these venues are tied to some Swifties’ core memories. It made me realize that we weren’t just attending a tour. We were part of history.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could relive the experience of a live stadium tour over and over again? 

Concert films aren’t a new genre. While the format has been around since the 1940s, interest has spiked massively in recent years. A prime example is Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour film. Co-directed by Eilish and James Cameron, the immersive 3D film proved to be a massive commercial success, pulling in a staggering $27 million at the global box office during its theatrical run.

These captured live performances promise to bring the stadium experience right to theaters, and even your living room. And while it’s safe to say you’re guaranteed to get barricade, you might find yourself missing the energy of experiencing the show alongside other fans. (Let's be honest, nothing can ever replace the feeling of trading friendship bracelets before you even enter the venue!)

Consider the following a love letter to live music!

The psychology behind co-creation, aka understanding the art of fangirling 

When looking at the true nature of concerts, it’s impossible to picture them without a crowd. This is especially true for solo artists, where the audience becomes their central partner in pulling off the show. Fans aren’t just singing along and dancing anymore: they are delivering a performance themselves, which actively turns them into co-stars. 

That being said, how do audiences experience being a literal part of the show?

The answer lies in a concept that completely flips our understanding of live performance: “musicking.” Coined by musicologist Christopher Small, this theory argues that music is an active verb rather than a static noun. A concert is never just a polished product handed down from stage and can be thought of as an ongoing conversation instead. 

Now you may ask, why does seeing your favorite artist live feel like such a heavenly experience?

Psychologists point towards a phenomenon known as “collective effervescence,” which explains why you find yourself getting emotional over a shared experience with a group of strangers. And as you can imagine, this spark requires the presence of other fans sharing the same physical space, feeding off each other’s energy. This crucial reliance on physical community is exactly why the way concert films are now being experienced in cinemas worldwide is so fascinating. Virtual screens can still trigger real-life “collective effervescence” as long as the audience shares a room.

So, how does the artist feel about this phenomenon? Billie is clearly enjoying it! She explicitly grants permission to break traditional cinema etiquette, asking her fans to act just as they would standing front row at her concert. 

Being a fan shapes identity

Hold on, we haven’t discussed all the underlying theories just yet!

Fandom goes far deeper than wanting to be entertained. It is an exercise in what the American Psychological Association (APA) defines as identification: 1. the process of associating the self closely with other individuals and their characteristics or views.

This means a listener doesn’t just play an album on repeat. They want to actively absorb an artist’s aesthetic, lyrics, and core values into their daily personality. After all, don’t we all want to live inside the captivating worlds created by Billie and all our other favorite artists?

Taken a step further, going to a concert can be seen as a form of “self-realization through cultural consumption.” Fans transition from holding up their phones to freeze a moment in time to wanting to fully possess the experience. The experience becomes theirs, quite literally, and is ready to be shared on social media (hello, FOMO!). 

Watching Billie’s concert film, I (alongside other reviewers) noticed that almost every single phone in the stadium was up. I think taking a closer look at ‘Live Performance in the Age of Phones’ is a good idea before deciding where you stand on the issue, especially since Phoebe Bridgers’ no-phone shows have sparked so much online discourse. 

8 thoughts I had while watching Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour live from my living room  

One of our favorite recent tours has finally added a stop on streaming!

So how does it feel to watch Billie’s Manchester performance all cozied up in your own living room? Find every single thought that crossed my mind during my first watch below.

1. Ooh, launching straight into ‘CHIHIRO’ is an absolute out-of-body experience.

2. I love how pretty everyone looks in their (probably handcrafted) outfits! Should I put mine on too?

3. “But nothin' ever stops you leavin’”…currently pausing the film during ‘when the party's over’ to stare blankly at my ceiling.

4. Okay, I definitely SHOULD put on my HMHAS jersey.

5. “The day of a show... I just feel like I'm going to hang out with my friends.” Consider me mentally RSVP’ing ‘yes’ to the next tour, Billie.

6. Hearing ‘What Was I Made For?’ is still an emotional one for me. Who's gonna hold me if I start crying?

7. I really miss singing along in the crowd together!

8. 10/10 film, seriously. Consider my brain chemistry permanently altered. 

I guess I’ll have to do my little ‘CHIHIRO’ run around my apartment instead of the cinema now.

As for concert films, it’s worth taking one more look at the crowd we all long for (in the real world, not just portrayed on screen).

The sense of connection adds irreplaceable value to live shows, which is why it’s more important than ever that fans don’t experience the film’s crowd-free version as a relief. Let’s ensure everyone has the best time possible in an age when fans often ‘Eclipse the Concert Experience’! Everyone, give this manifesto on concert etiquette a read!

Let’s keep concerts accessible (while loving a good film experience!)

We can all agree that live music shouldn’t be a luxury. 

The accessibility of live music is a major topic of debate in the music industry at the moment. With ticket prices skyrocketing, fans get priced out of the stadium, leaving them to view the streaming experience as the “most affordable seat in the house.” While the cinema or at-home experience offers a more intimate look at the show, including behind-the-scenes content, it should never be considered a replacement for the live show. 

The band Only The Poets has become the ultimate case study in how to keep music accessible. They played the cheapest gig in the history of the Brixton Academy to keep shows open to everyone. 

Besides, buying concert tickets has basically turned into The Hunger Games, and we’re seeing massive changes in touring. Many artists, most notably Harry Styles, are swapping traditional touring for a residency model, performing multiple shows in a single city instead of traveling from venue to venue. Critics claim that this strategy passes the touring responsibilities directly onto the fans, making travel mandatory and expecting them to spend extra money on transportation and hotels. 

In short

Of course, concert films were never intended to replace the live show. But without further accessibility, more fans might turn to them out of necessity rather than to relive the memories they’ve already made. 

The Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour film is an absolute masterclass at capturing the crowd in an intimate close-up (especially in the 3D cinema version), making you feel like you were almost there. Almost. 

Community truly matters in music and concert films that highlight this serve as a powerful reminder. Perhaps this can pave the way toward accessible live music again.

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