Reviews: Billie Eilish, Thomas Rhett, The Lonely Island & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from Billie Eilish in New York; Thomas Rhett in Charlotte, N.C.; The Lonely Island in Philadelphia; Judas Priest in Airway Heights, Wash.; Pentatonix in Columbus, Ohio; Hootie & The Blowfish in Phoenix.

Billie Eilish @ Pier 17 @ The Rooftop in New York, N.Y., June 19 – “With Eilish’s crowd — and there were hundreds and hundreds of teens, primarily but not all female, proudly wearing her merch like a badge of honor at this show — it feels like they’re cheering on one of their friends: that awesome girl with the dark sense of humor who made all those hilariously creepy works in art or music class.” – Jem Aswad / Variety

Thomas Rhett @ PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, N.C., June 14 – “Throughout the night, there was a consistently upbeat atmosphere. Rhett ran around the entire stage, taking fans’ phones in the pit to snap a quick selfie every once in a while. Halfway through the set, the 29-year-old walked to a small stage in the middle of the audience to sing a few songs like “That Old Truck” in order to connect better with fans on the lawn.” – Madeline Coleman / The Charlotte Observer

The Lonely Island @ The Met Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Penn., June 18 – “Imagine a juvenile ‘License to Ill’-era Beastie Boys replacing their AC/DC guitar samples for Skrillex EDM bass drops, and swapping Brooklyn baller humor for silly, literal pronouncements, and you get what Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone cooked up.” – A.D. Amorosi / Variety

Judas Priest @ Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Spokane, Wash., June 19 – “Because the evening flat-out rocked – even if the rainy and downright cold conditions were less-than-ideal. The band was simply terrific, even if Halford and bassist Ian Hill are the only remaining band members from the peak of Priest’s popularity.” – Dave Nichols / The Spokesman-Review

Pentatonix @ Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, June 16 – “One of the evening’s highlights combined the group’s two opposing impulses, towards radical simplicity and technological innovation. In an extraordinary solo performance beat-boxer Kevin Olusola started out combining cello and beat-boxing, and then looped recordings of that with newly introduced themes and variations, to mesmerizing effect.” – Margaret Quamme / The Columbus Dispatch

Hootie & The Blowfish @ Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, Ariz., June 19 – “The blues-rock musicians have dubbed their comeback performances the Group Therapy Tour. And judging by how far apart they were positioned onstage at Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix on Wednesday, you might think the bandmates were actually working through some issues.” – Jason Keil / The Arizona Republic