Peter Black
May 8, 2024
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
To borrow from the title of her Oscar-winning song, the Videotron Centre seems to be “made for” the rehearsal and début of superstar pop singer Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft world tour.
Eilish, who won the Academy Award for “What Am I Made For,” from the blockbuster Barbie movie, is expected to arrive with her entourage in Quebec City on Sept. 27 to prepare for the inaugural concert two days later.
Tickets, priced from $129 to $556, went on sale on May 4. Few seats remained when the QCT checked on the weekend.
Dominique Goulet, programming boss for the Videotron Centre, told the QCT the deal to host Eilish came about through the venue’s relationship with entertainment giant Live Nation, which in the past has arranged similar pre-tour warm-ups for Céline Dion, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Nickelback, Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire.
Goulet said the fact the Videotron Centre is a state-of-the-art facility with highly experienced technical teams and the fact it would be available for three days straight were some of the selling points.
She said it’s possible Eilish herself had some input into the choice of venue to begin the tour, considering that artists tend to be more “hands on” with tour planning than in past years.
Goulet said the concert set-up for the Eilish show will feature a central stage with a 360-degree view.
The Quebec stop, Goulet said, would be the 22-year-old Californian’s first gig in Quebec City, and one of only three stops in Canada, besides Toronto and Vancouver. She played Montreal’s Osheaga festival last August, to rave reviews.
Goulet said the city may experience a mini tourism boom during Eilish’s visit, with about 30 per cent of the Videotron Centre’s 17,500 seats expected to be scooped up by out-of-town fans.
The star’s request for special arrangements during her Quebec stay include a vegan menu and a minimal environmental footprint, Goulet said.
Eilish, who writes songs and performs with her older brother Finneas O’Connell, first gained fame in 2015 with her début album Ocean Eyes. The siblings have since won nine Grammys and another Oscar in 2022 for the title song of the James Bond movie No Time to Die.
Eilish’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, is slated to be released May 17.
Pop superstar Billie Eilish starts her world tour in Quebec City Sept. 29.
Photo from Depositphotos