Bumping that 365 days at SWEAT Tour.
Darian Trabold, Editor-in-Chief
On September 18, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan brought their SWEAT tour to a sold-out crowd in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. Despite their different styles — Charli more energetic and Sivan sonically warm — SWEAT lived up to its name. The concert was energetic and fun, very ‘365’ party girl, and the perfect way to showcase Charli’s new album BRAT. Each artist would play two to three songs and then switch, even doing a few songs together. Overall, it was an incredible experience, the ideal end to BRAT summer. In the most BRAT way possible, my friends and I ran into the arena with seconds to spare before the concert began at 8:30 p.m. and I am glad we did not miss a second of the show. Sivan started the show with “Got Me Started”, a fitting beginning. Sivan’s sets primarily consisted of magnetic and, at times, hilarious choreography, with a little more focus on the production. While the set was more like a Charli show, just some scaffolding in the background, Sivan used it to his advantage, making one feel a ‘rush’ when he was on stage. The signature BRAT green curtain dropped and out came Charli, alone with a microphone singing “365”. When one thinks of an arena show, an artist strutting up and down the stage, hyping the crowd up like it is a night club is not usually what comes to mind. However, Charli’s stage presence and bumping beats are strong making this setup for her portions of the show the encapsulation of BRAT. One cannot forget the entire crowd doing the ‘Apple dance,’ creating a sense of a shared cultural moment amongst the crowd. The crowd was its loudest singing Lorde’s part of “Girl, so confusing,” showing how BRAT captured the zeitgeist of the summer and made the internet go crazy. Towards the end of the show, the artists began interacting more with each other, even performing their song “1999” together before the encore. Charli had a very BRAT heavy setlist, which I was not upset about. She did include “I Love It” and “Track 10” in the encore which felt like a full circle moment for a longtime Charli fan like myself. Troye had a mix of newer stuff as well as some older songs; however, he did not sing anything from Blue Neighborhood which, if he included just one song from that album, my soul would have left my body. The setlist was a perfect mix of the two artists, allowing for manic jumping during Charli’s set and mellow vibing to Sivan’s set. The night ended with the two joining forces to perform their remix “Talk Talk”, making me wish they would keep singing. The SWEAT tour was the definition of a perfect night out listening to club classics. Despite different styles of pop music, their similar fan base and seamless transition between sets make this rave disguised as an arena tour one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
Photo Credit: Darian Trabold
