Finneas at the Troubadour Club in West Hollywood, 7.15.22
A few weeks ago, Finneas O’Connell announced that he was going to be playing two shows at the famed Troubadour Club in West Hollywood. These tickets sold out in minutes. He put 20 more online just before the show began, and they sold out in seconds, with many fans driving across L.A. to see if they still had tickets available. He played the 13th and 14th of July, and I was fortunate enough to attend the second night and watch him perform front row.
Finneas Baird O’Connell, known by stage name Finneas, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, including his sister, Billie Eilish. He has won eight Grammy Awards among 13 total nominations, including nominations for all of the Big Four.
Now you can’t mention Finneas without mentioning his well-known sister Billie Eilish. But I am not here to mention that because it might bring more attention to the reader, rather to mention that Finn’s involvement in Billie’s music is much larger than many know. Billie and Finn are incredibly close, and, as her older brother, he has always helped to mentor her, produce, and write a lot of her music. She claimed in an interview with David Letterman that she would not be where she is without him and that he is the production magic behind a lot of her work. He then said that he is happy to be with Billie on her music career as long as she will have him, and if she ever does not want him, he will respect that. So it seems like a very healthy relationship, where both are able to do their own thing but also work together a lot. Of course she was sitting on the balcony next to Finn’s fiancée.
Fans were packed in, and the line was five blocks long. This was the second night Finneas had performed, and many fans had attended both nights. Many fans drove from as far as Texas and waited in line as early as 5 a.m. to get front row at the club, which is mostly GA seating where a fan is able to get very close to the stage and where musicians often touch the hands of fans and interact. Nothing like a Billie stadium show, which is an amazing experience but much more removed with security guards between the rails and the musician. Finn stepped out on stage and opened up with his well known song “Naked,” which ranks 7 on his Spotify top 10, and you could hear the whole crowd go crazy.
He played “Mona Lisa” in the middle of his act and looked up at his fiancée as the song is about her. The whole crowd took the journey with him and looked back at her. It was incredible how close the show felt. He ended the show with “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night,” which is his most well-known song. He would hop on the speakers and touch everyone’s hands in the front row. He would stop multiple times to talk with fans who wrote signs to give to him, which he took. He was likely one of the biggest musicians I have seen play in such a small setting and hang out with the fans so closely. You do not get experiences like that often, which goes to show how genuine of a human Finneas appears to be.
