From the Archduke Rudolph to Jeff Bezos and Amazon, the ultra rich are never closer to likability than when they’re patronizing the arts. This year’s Amazon Prime Day starts June 21st, and the tech behemoth is advertising it with a trio of stunningly lavish concert sets from Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, and H.E.R.
Each of the three films has cinematic ambitions, and each seems to be equipped with a budget that wouldn’t look out of place at Sundance. Eilish’s, for example, is titled Une Journée à Paris, and was co-directed by the pop star and Sam Wrench. Whether it takes place in Paris itself or a detailed recreation, the mood evoked is unmistakable. Eilish peers over the rainy streets from a chic hotel balcony, frequents cafes with brother Finneas, hops on the back of her beau’s moped, and attends a grand old cinema situated only a little ways away from the Eiffel Tower. Throughout, she sings songs old and new, from recent singles “My Future” and “Your Power” to cuts from her debut album such as “All the Good Girls”.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kid Cudi’s set takes the form of a science fiction epic. It opens with the words, “Breaking news: later today astronaut Kid Cudi will take off from the Orpheus launch site. The program aims to establish a new human colony on the moon. Today, history will be made.” As he sings selections from each of the albums in his Man on the Moon trilogy, he suits up, lifts off, and finds his spaceship deteriorating as Mission Control (played by Seth Rogen) fails to help.
For H.E.R.’s part, the R&B songwriter has created a lavish musical seemingly inspired by films like Midnight in Paris. The film begins in modern day Los Angeles, but it quickly travels backwards in time. As H.E.R. explains in the opening narration, her destination is “The Dunbar Hotel. The heartbeat of Black culture and music in Los Angeles has its own special history… Legends like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, they graced the stage of that place. When they weren’t accepted anywhere else, the doors of the Dunbar were always open. What I didn’t know was, I would find myself there.” After a show, she gets into the wrong car, and is dropped off at the Dunbar during its golden age. With the help of a quirky hotel manager (Taraji P. Henson), she lets her hair down and makes herself at home.
All three films are only viewable through the Amazon Prime Day Show website. Check out the full setlists below.
Billie Eilish’s new album Happier Than Ever drops July 30th, while H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind arrives Friday, June 18th. As for Cudi, he recently capped off his emo rap trilogy with Man on the Moon III: The Chosen.
Billie Eilish Setlist:
My Future
Therefore I Am
All the Good Girls
Lost Cause
Everything I Wanted
Your Power
Kid Cudi Setlist:
Tequila Shots
Sad People
4 Da Kidz
Mr Rager
Pursuit of Happiness
H.E.R. Setlist:
I Can’t Breathe
My Own
Self
Come Through
Best Part
We Made It
Fight 4 You
