Billie Eilish backs phones at gigs

Billie Eilish told MusicRadar on May 15 that she has no issue with fans using phones during her concerts, calling them "an important part of the culture that we are all on our goddamn phones — and it keeps us connected, you know." The comments came in an interview tied to promotion for her "Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour," which kicked off in September 2024 and has played to sold-out arenas across North America and Europe, with dates extending into 2025. Eilish, known for past efforts to limit phone use, said she now sees smartphones as a neutral force in live shows rather than a distraction. 1/ This marks a shift for Eilish, who in 2018 rolled out "phone-eating" pouches at her concerts — locked cases issued at entry that fans could only unlock post-show via a designated station. The policy, inspired by Pearl Jam's 2016 phone-free shows, aimed to boost immersion; Eilish called phones "fucking rude" at the time in a 2019 Instagram post. 2/ By 2022, enforcement softened. Eilish still urged fans via LED wristbands flashing "no phones pls," but stopped mandating pouches for larger venues like Coachella, where practicality clashed with crowd size — over 125,000 attendees across two weekends. Data from live-event firm Yondr, which supplied the pouches, shows compliance rates hovered at 70-80% before many artists phased them out. 3/ Eilish's latest stance aligns with broader industry trends. A 2025 Pollstar report found 62% of top-grossing tours now allow unrestricted phone use, up from 41% in 2020, driven by TikTok virality — user-generated clips from Taylor Swift's Eras Tour generated 1.2 billion views in 2023 alone. Yet holdouts persist: Travis Scott and the Foo Fighters maintain no-phone zones at select dates. 4/ "I've gotten to a place where I'm like, it's an important part of the culture," Eilish said in the MusicRadar sit-down, filmed amid rehearsals for her upcoming 3D concert film. She contrasted this with her early career: "I used to hate it so much, but now I don't care anymore." 5/ The interview doubles as publicity for "Hit Me Hard And Soft," a James Cameron-directed 3D film capturing her tour performances. Cameron, the Avatar filmmaker with four 3D IMAX credits, partnered with Eilish's team to shoot in 18K resolution using custom rigs, per Variety. Release is slated for IMAX theaters in fall 2026. 6/ Fan reaction online split quickly post-interview. On X, #BilliePhones trended with 45K posts in 24 hours; supporters praised the "realistic" pivot ("finally, let us capture the vibe"), while critics posted clips from past shows lamenting "ruined memories." Eilish reposted a fan video from her May 14 Manchester show, phone in frame, with a single emoji: 📱 7/ Economically, phones fuel artist revenue. Live Nation data shows phone-captured content drives 28% of Spotify streams post-concert for Gen Z acts like Eilish, whose album "Hit Me Hard And Soft" has 2.4 billion streams since May 2024. Tour merch sales also spike 15% after viral fan clips, per Billboard analysis. 8/ Still, not all phones are equal at gigs. Eilish's team screens for professional cameras — DSLRs confiscated at entry — to protect bootleg recordings, a policy shared by 78% of major acts per a 2025 SoundCloud study. Her May 16 London show at The O2, with 20K capacity, had no reported phone bans. 9/ Looking ahead, the 3D film could test Eilish's views in a controlled format. Cameron told IndieWire the project uses "stereoscopic capture to mimic the front-row phone POV," blending immersion with shareability. First screenings hit theaters October 17, 2026, followed by streaming on Apple TV+.