Billie Eilish waited two years to get back on the road, and now that the Happier Than Ever tour is in full swing, she’s here for her fans — in more ways than one.
On Saturday, the singer was performing at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena when she halted the concert mid-show to retrieve an inhaler for a seemingly distressed fan in the audience.
From the stage, Eilish oversaw security as they located the young woman in the pit, reminding the audience members not to crowd her. She quipped: “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going.”
The singer did some crowd control of her own, turning to the rest of the arena to soothe their anxieties from the rafters: “Relax, relax, it’s OK. We’re taking care of our people, hold on.” Ready to jump back into the show, Eilish reminded the crowd to get someone’s attention if they needed anything and walked them through a quick breathing exercise before starting the next song.
Artists ensuring crowd safety during their shows has long been a part of being on the road, especially when hundreds of fans fill general admission areas in front of the stage. But in the wake of the Astroworld Festival tragedy, where 10 concertgoers died of compression asphyxia during Travis Scott’s headlining set in November, these crucial moments of pause are more essential than ever before.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
