On September 28th TD Garden in Boston, MA was overrun by excited patrons donning lime green, leather, and skinny sunglasses and ready to dance the night away. Why? Because the Sweat Tour was finally making its stop in town. The tour, which is co-headlined by the LGBTQ+ Aussie icon Troye Sivan and the British electronic pop queen Charli XCX, was announced to cult excitement in the spring, and Boston’s date quickly sold out.
When the lights in the arena dimmed and a remixed mashup of “Club Classics” by Charli XCX and “Got Me Started” by Troye Sivan started to blast over the speakers, the whole atmosphere changed. It felt as if we were all suddenly teleported into an intimate club packed with patrons ready to sweat. The bass shook the floor, the screens flashed with the headliners’ names, and the crowd became electric. Not long after, Troye’s dancers strutted on to the stage and the show began.
During the almost two hour set, the friends switched off performances, playing three or four songs before passing the mic off, creating a show that felt a bit like watching a bejeweled tennis ball go back and forth; you weren’t always sure where to look or where it would go next, but it kept you totally gripped the entire time, not allowing even a second for boredom to creep in. They also appeared on stage together for a few joint performances, including their new remix of “Talk Talk” off of Brat.
This is the largest headlining tour for both artists thus far in their careers, marking a momentous step forward for the pair, even after the exciting year they both had.
Sivan released his album Something to Give Each Other back in October of 2023, and along with a shout out from critically acclaimed comedy show SNL, the album received two Grammy nominations. On the other side of the coin, Charli’s Brat was released in June of this year and has spent months influencing pop culture, even causing fans to believe she may have a shot at her first solo Grammy nomination and win.
With the release of Brat, Charli XCX became an internet sensation, proclaiming the summer months “Brat Summer” which spawned Tik Tok dances, trends, new slang, inside jokes, and included multiple remixes of the songs from the original Brat lineup. The aesthetic of Brat has given people the confidence to be unapologetically messy, and bold, all while wearing last night’s makeup and brandishing some article of clothing in the now iconic “brat green” of the album cover. However, Brat is not all unbothered it girl, but rather contains an emotional depth that can be overshadowed sometimes by the thumping bass of the majority of the tracks. This is a club album at its core, but it is a club album that asks us to reflect and gives us a small glimpse into the insecurities that plague even the coolest girl, Charli herself.
The Sweat Tour was announced earlier this year and really only stirred excitement from their preexisting fans until Brat came on to the scene and caused Charli to blow up and finally receive her flowers. However, as amazing as Charli and Brat are, they do not completely steal the show by any means. Troye and his band of dancers command the Sweat Tour stage with a confidence and swagger all their own. This was one of the most exciting concerts I have attended in a long time, and here are some of the best moments.
Sivan opened the show with “Got Me Started,” an upbeat techno-sounding pop hit that introduced us to his troupe of talented dancers. The star and his dancers hit the stage with a sultry appeal and impeccably choreographed moves. Going from steamy tableaus and intricate gesture work to an almost line dance-like section during his encore song “Honey,” the performers really showed versatility and did an amazing job entertaining the crowd. To Troye’s credit, his vocals were amazing, but his dance movies really stole the show. He joined his dancers for the majority of the dance breaks, seamlessly completing the complex choreography and invoking memories of some of pop’s greatest performers.
Troye and Charli also made use of their runway, treating fans to a costume change almost every time they reappeared on stage. Troye donned multiple pairs of baggy pants, one even bedazzled, sexy tank tops, and backwards baseball caps. Charli first appeared on one end of the runway after dropping a large green curtain with the word “Brat” in full view across it to reveal herself dressed in a purple asymmetrical Acne Studios dress, knee high boots, a pile of Y2K belts, and of course, her signature sunglasses. Later in the night she wore a large fur coat, a baby pink set with lacy socks, multiple pairs of leather boots, and even a pair of sparkly briefs.
Charli took the stage with all of the smoothness and nonchalance we have begun to expect from her after the release of “Brat,” but she gave anything but an unenergetic show. She stomped, sang, and strutted up and down that runway every chance she got, captivating the audience with her messy hair flips, high kicks, and not letting a wardrobe malfunction get in the way of giving a good show.
After losing her skirt and strutting across the stage in a pair of black panties, she got on the mic and said: “Sometimes being a girl means you have wardrobe malfunctions on stage in front of a sold out arena, and you show your ass but you don’t give a fuck because you’re a bad girl sometimes, but you’re also a sad girl and you want to cry sometimes too.”
The night was jam packed with hits, dancing, and fashion, including a cute moment where Charli’s team picked someone out of the crowd to do the famous “Apple” dance that was choreographed by Tik Tok creator Kelley Heyer. Between the swapping sets, strobe lights, and ground shaking bass, Troye Sivan and Charli XCX put on what has to be one of the most entertaining concerts of the year.
Set List
Act 1: Troye
- Got Me Started
- What’s the Time Where You Are?
- My My My!
Act 2: Charli
- 365
- 360
- Von dutch
Act 3: Troye
- In My Room
- Dance to This (ft. Ariana Grande)
- Rager teenager!
Act 4: Charli
- Club classics
- Unlock It
- Sympathy is a Knife
- Guess (ft. Billie Eilish)
Act 5: Troye
- Bloom
Act 6: Charli
- Spring Breakers
- Girl, so confusing
Act 7: Troye
- One of Your Girls
Act 8: Charli
- Everything is Romantic
- Speed Drive
- Apple
Act 9: Troye
- Silly
- You
- STUD
Act 10: Charli
- 365
- Vroom Vroom
Act 11: Both
- 1999
Act 12: Charli
- Track 10
- I Love It
Act 13: Troye
- Honey
- Rush
Act 14: Both
- Talk Talk (ft. Troye Sivan)
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