Hi y'all and happy Thursday. I hope your week is going brilliantly. Not long until the year is through and we can all take a nice deep breath.
A couple months ago I went to Billie Eilish's concert at the Qudos Bank Arena. The doors opened at I think around 6:30pm, and people had been queueing for the general admission since 5am that morning. We drove past camping chairs, little tents and people rugged up, ready and waiting anxiously to get their spot right on the barrier to be as close as possible to their favourite pop star, their idol, their hero. I thought I was a relatively big fan, but I had absolutely nothing on these super fans, as I drove into the car park at 6:45pm and found my little seat high up on the side of the action. I personally was just thrilled to get to have a seat, and with a clear view.
Now, Billie is without a doubt the most famous person I've ever been in the same (very large) room as, and her command over 21 000 people was even more astonishing than the commitment of her most loyal fans.
The concept of fame as a whole fascinates me, that a certain person can be so wholeheartedly admired to the point of idolisation that it evokes a deep and personal response when those who love a famous person are near to them.
Billie is known for her love of interaction with fans and has a very long runway as a part of her stage setup, offering more physical space for as many fans to be right on the frontline, and close enough to see her blink.
What started my fascination of watching this all happen, was the way that fans moved when Billie got remotely close to the barrier on any side. Like magnets, as soon as she was close enough to the barrier, the closest 200 people surged forwards, hoping to see her, touch her and cry into her arms. From my view up in the rafters, it was a mesmerising display of push and pull - wherever she was, the nearest die-hards would do their best to be there too.
She even spent one song walking the length of the barrier and holding the fans that could get close enough to her to have all of their dreams come true. The big screens on either side of the stage showed up close, the emotions running high of the fans within an inch of her. At one point, she decided to stop and sing a few lines, eye to eye with one lucky girl whose eyes showed her disbelief at the fact that THE Billie Eilish was standing mere centimetres from her. As Billie moved on, she tipped her head back to the sky and SOBBED which really had me a little taken aback.
Worldwide fame is an incredibly interesting spectacle, as not only does it clearly have the power to make others feel strong emotions, but having the level influence and command over that many people is incredibly powerful (obv). I'd never seen it firsthand until that night, but it really made me think about how I would react if faced with celebrities and famous people who I admire greatly - would I be the sobber in front of Billie Eilish?
The entire concept of idolising people we've never met, engaging in parasocial relationships and having people who don't even know we exist be important figures in our lives is such a wild thing to subscribe to and yet here we all are.
-RECOMMENDATIONS-
Happier Than Ever album by Billie Eilish on Spotify/Apple Music etc -
In honour of our gal Billie, I am going to recommend her latest album - Happier than Ever. This was the tour she just performed, it came out maybe a year ago and it's a goody. Get it wherever you listen to music.
An ocean swim in whatever sea water is closest to you -
I'm recommending this because the weather has taken a turn finally (!) into some beautiful spring weather and although I do come at this recommendation from the privileged point of being able to walk to the beach and back from my home, I couldn't recommend a freezing dip more. The weather may have warmed up, but the water has NOT, so take a refreshing and heart stopping dip to get outside and feel ALIVE.
BoM Weather app on app store -
I'm recommending this both because I have an undying love for the BoM radars and their forecasts, but also because they recently asked everyone to stop calling them "The Bom" because it undermines their authority and instead call them "The Bureau" which is very amusing to me because their app is literally CALLED BoM Weather. So really, this is on them.
That's all I have to say this week. As the year winds up, everything gets chaotic and Christmas slowly (quickly) creeps up - remember to have a little nap every now and then or a little sit in the sun. Also, no one will die if you fold you washing a day later this week. Please share this wee little publication if you know someone who would like to read it, or like and comment with the usual buttons.
Until next week!
Julia x
I think the BoM should stick with BoM. Isn't "The Bureau" the FBI?
BoM forever