Can a young modern alternative pop musician leave an impact as timeless as the music icons of the 20th century? Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and alternative pop musician FINNEAS delivered an unforgettable spectacle at Hollywood Palladium on March 5^th, 2025. Los Angeles was FINNEAS’ last stop of his North American For Cryin’ Out Loud tour – celebrating his recently released album of the same name and delivering intricately and emotionally layered songs from his solo career.

To an extent, FINNEAS’ performance at Hollywood Palladium was reminiscent of young Elvis Presley shocking the world for the first time. Despite the difference in their performance style and musical genre, FINNEAS and his sheer musical talent, audacity, and tenderheartedness of a young passionate soul perhaps drew out these noticeable parallels to the audience. FINNEAS’ stage mannerisms were extremely exemplary of his self-assurance – taking on the stage with his versatile play of instruments and slowly dancing around while confidently iterating his heartfelt lyrics.

Although FINNEAS is known for producing the most critically acclaimed songs for his pop sensational sister Billie Eilish, his dazzling solo performance was a testament to establishing his creativity in combining pop music with fragments of other musical genres. Considering his unparalleled musical intuition, it is unbelievable how the 27-year-old singer’s solo career has only been 6 years since the release of his debut album Blood Harmony. The setlist choice of the night further reflected his wistfulness with romantic despair, added with playful melodies of the 70s/80s pop music and the sentimental mood of swing jazz – again illustrating FINNEAS’ in-depth understanding of the alternative pop music’s versatile nature.

After Los Angeles-based rock band Bad Suns sublimely amazed the fans at Hollywood Palladium with their opening acts’ wonderous energy, FINNEAS determinedly walked onto the stage. As the singer slowly situated himself in front of the grand piano in the middle of the stage, FINNEAS started playing the first song of the night, Starf–ker – a song reflecting a devastating heartbreak with a sentimental slow-paced piano melody. The performance continued with FINNEAS’ low-mid voice recounting his romantically dejected experience, leaving the fans both in awe and deep contemplation. Then, in the middle of the night’s first song, his other incredibly talented band members emerged onto the stage, harmonically finishing the climactic emotional burst of the opening song.

As the night at Hollywood Palladium continued, there were countless performative spectacles for Finnions – a term coined by the dedicated fans of FINNEAS over social media to describe their fandom base. Some of the highlights of the night included sentimental and powerfully moving song choices such as What’s It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart? and Only A Lifetime, slow yet upbeat pop songs such as Cleats and Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, and a warm sorrowful song dedicated to his sister Family Feud. There was also a special collaboration with Colin Blunstone (the lead singer of the English rock band The Zombies) along with their funky cover performance of the respective band’s song Time of the Season, as the night ended with an energetic live performance of For Cryin’ Out Loud!.

But there were specific moments where FINNEAS left an everlasting impression on the audience. The first timer was with another special collaboration with pop musician Ashe and their tenderhearted performance of Till Forever Falls Apart – which felt like a nostalgic scene from a 50s Hollywood musical film. The stage ambiance during this performance further supplemented the image of a confident and young Elvis Presley to the audience – especially with the red stage lighting and curtain on the back of the stage.

Another moment included FINNEAS’ live performance on the fan-favorite song Let’s Fall in Love for the Night – a heartfeltly romantic yet emotionally detached song about one’s unreciprocated love. Its uplifting acoustic melody, yet heart-aching lyrics left the audience in awe – as the audience compassionately began singing along to poetically written lyrics.

FINNEAS’ performance at Hollywood Palladium illustrated his dexterous ability in playing various instruments (piano, electronic guitar, acoustic guitar, and his emotive vocal ability) and his utmost sincerity and gratitude dedicated to the fans at the venue. Despite the idle playfulness of the instrumental melodies and vocals, the poetic existentialism from FINNEAS’ incredible lyrics writing has resonated with Hollywood Palladium fans. The ingenious and underappreciated musical intuition of FINNEAS has thus thrivingly left an everlasting impression on the audience – perhaps reinvigorating them with the pure joy of attending live music events, as achieved by timeless music icons of the 20th century.

Setlist:

1. Starfucker
2. Lotus Eater
3. Cleats
4. Sweet Cherries
5. What’s It Gonna Take to Break Your Heart?
6. Angel
7. The Kids Are All Dying
8. Partners in Crime
9. A Concert Six Months From Now
10. Time of the Season (The Zombies cover song) (ft. Colin Blunstone)
11. 2001
12. Little Window
13. Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa
14. Only a Lifetime
15. Till Forever Falls Apart (ft. Ashe)
16. Family Feud
17. I Lost a Friend
18. Break My Heart Again
19. Let’s Fall in Love for the Night
20. For Cryin’ Out Loud!