I feel as if I have too many heavy subjects going on on this blog. This will definitely not be one of those.
So here’s a light and breezy blog post that is extra windy if you like Billie.
After three changes of stage and tickets going wild…I got mine. I was so excited.
I listened to Billie everyday when I was doing my dissertation. Her new album ‘When do we all fall asleep where do we go?’ was my routine. It then expanded to the EP ‘Don’t smile at me’ and other singles. Billie was very present on my Spotify list in 2019, that’s what I am trying to say.
She posted an interactive microsite on her Instagram stories where you could go through her bedroom and buy tickets and see her fashion line. After a good stalk on the store, and realising that I don’t have enough money for it, I decided to see where she was going. I was very suprised to see she was coming to Portugal. Weird how I had never heard of it. Reality was that the tickets had gone live in February and sold out in minutes. Now it made sense why they weren’t advertising it.
I prayed for a change of venue…my prayers were answered. It sold out again. Damn. Then she got a bigger place. THIS IS MY CHANCE.
Twitter gave me a early access password (how lucky) and I let it be too late to buy them…of course. In the end, I thought to have the tickets in the bag when the password didn’t work when I was going to buy the tickets (it had worked before, I took too long). THIS WAS WAR. I woke up at 10am. I set up all of my electronics on my bed and put them on the ticket website. There I was with my computer, tablet, phone and pijamas.
IT STARTED. Screaming inside I made my way through the tickets. Sold out? It’s been seconds! Refresh, refresh, refresh. Maybe try a different website? Nothing. Called the venue. Nothing. Damn…my only chance.
We managed to grab a few tickets later on thanks to Rita’s experience on buying concerts (thanks!). Turns out that when it says that it is sold out, it might not be true. Refresh your pages people! (I’m sure everyone knew this already).
In the end, the venue wasn’t full! It was advertised as sold out but this gap you see in the picture of my very white sneakers went on throughout the concert. A lot of spaces on the balcony were empty too. Really don’t know if there was half the arena missing, if the tickets weren’t advertised or if it was on purpose but it would have been an amazing vibe if everyone was there.
My mom was on holiday this week so we decided to have a mini holiday before the concert and then I would go to the venue much quicker.
So, that’s how it went. We went to the beach and did touristy things and then on the 4th went to Lisbon. My parents went to Belém to do more touristy things and me and Rita went to get stuff for the concert.
Concert essentials:
- Water (specially if it’s hot but it’s always needed).
- Sunscreen (super essential in days of heat believe me).
- A friend (if you intend to be on the queue for hours to have good seats…you should have someone with you so you can have a bathroom break or go to get water. Alternatively you can ask someone from the queue but it would depend on the person).
- Shelter (umbrellas are amazing for this BUT you have to bin them afterwards because they can’t get in so I wouldn’t recommend it. Think about the planet. Bring at least a hat. I bought a super stylish one with camo which is really not my style).
- Cloth (to use as shelter or to use for picnics. Believe me…you don’t want to sit in the gravel).
- A good mood (we all have bad days but let’s scream our hearts out whenever we feel sad. I did that a couple of times when I was getting anxious).
We were in the queue for two and a half hours and we weren’t even in the middle of the queue. Also, it was 35 degrees that day and I had just had a recent severe sunburn from the beach on my back.
The doors opened at 18:30. Finally.
We got in and there were people running everywhere and security saying not to run. A girl fell in front of me. Damn. It looked like the hunger games.
We got ‘front row’ seats.
The concert started with ‘MadeinTYO’ classified as hip hop music. Now, I am not really a big fan of rap. Rita and I were begging for Billie to come. We gave them a chance but the lyrics about food really got us laughing.
I am sure they are great for people that like this genre but we can’t relate. Also, something that happens to me a lot is that genres that I am not a fan of…usually their songs sound all the same to me. Wasn’t a fan. I have to give them credits for the vibe created though. We really were building our energy from there for Billie.
There was a small break. Then, I noticed someone being carried backstage. She has her two ankles sprained so I immediately thought it was her. It was.
At 21:00 Billie made her appearance. We first watched a short animation on the screens that really set the mood and was nicely made. I was very hooked.
I won’t describe the concert but I’ll just say that it was amazing. I was yelling, screaming, singing. The adrenaline was rushing through my body and I was immersed into a different reality where the thought that I had to pay rent didn’t even cross my mind (oops).
The energy was beautiful and the show was a trip onto Billie’s creative mind. I really enjoyed the ride. The concert was a little over one hour. But damn what an hour it was.
My favourite song was ‘Copycat’ that night, the beat drop and the choreography Billie got us to do got me jumping. ‘I love you’ was the song many people shed tears for. Lastly, ‘I wish you were gay’ means a lot to me so it was extra special.
Overall a great experience. Just hoped it wouldn’t be 35 degrees that day.
I think I have said everything about it that I could think of. Did you go to the concert? How did you find it? Do you like Billie?
Random Chipmunk 