If you’re looking for a good Sweat, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan have you covered.
Riding on the wave that made Greta Gerwig’s Barbie the biggest blockbuster of the summer of 2023, Charli XCX unequivocally (and maybe accidentally) created yet another phenomenon with her sixth studio album, Brat, that will be remembered as the defining essence of 2024. There’s no way Charli could’ve anticipated that Brat would have mimicked Barbie’s cultural impact, but nonetheless, Mrs. XCX prevailed. This summer, we swapped hot pink for brat green and traded in the high feminine, almost plastic-looking aesthetic of Barbie for the messy-may-not-have-it-all-together party girl look coined by Charli and her peers.
After Brat debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and Sivan picked up his first few Grammy nominations for his party anthem “Rush,” their success comes as no surprise. I mean, they’ve both been in the spotlight for years, with most remembering Charli for her 2012 collaboration with Icona Pop on “I Love It” and Sivan’s 2016 time capsule track “YOUTH.” However, there’s no denying they’ve suddenly been catapulted into a new level of stardom, especially Charli, who admitted on her track that “I might say something” that she thinks she’s “famous, but not quite.”
Whether or not Brat turned out to be the cultural touchstone it’s become, Charli and Sivan’s Sweat Tour would’ve still been one of the most memorable nights of my life. After tickets went on sale earlier this year and Charli dropped her album, I knew I wanted to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event. I asked my sister what she thought about going to one of the Sweat Tour’s Los Angeles dates, and we instantly knew we had to go — there was no way around it.
So, she booked our nosebleed tickets for the Oct. 16, and patiently awaited for the tour to start. Nowadays with social media, it’s pretty hard for things not to get spoiled. After the Sweat Tour kicked off on Sept. 14, in Detroit, Michigan, my FYP was swarmed with clips from eager fans looking to go viral for the first look at the iconic show. I steered clear as best as I possibly could, but heading into my night of pure Sweat, I knew almost everything to expect. Nonetheless, that didn’t take away from the anticipation I felt riding up to the Kia Forum and seeing two of my favorite artist’s names plastered atop the venue’s arches like they were hanging in the Louvre.
As soon as we walked up to the Forum, it was as if I entered an alternative universe where abiding by microtrends are law. Everyone was decked out in Brat green and Y2K-inspired fashion. However, the one thing that really stood out to me was that no one really cared what I was wearing or doing. The essence of Charli and Sivan was on full display with the crowd they drew in before we even stepped inside the venue. Everyone at the Sweat Tour was there to party, enjoy the music, and most importantly, sweat.
After making our way up to our seats, Shygirl opened up the concert, and might I say, she was the perfect opener for Charli and Sivan. Yes, she’s featured on the “365” remix, but her hyperpop, party-girl aesthetic matched that of the co-headliners seamlessly. At 8:30 p.m. on the dot, Sivan his set with one of my favorite songs from last summer. When “Got Me Started” began playing over the Forum’s sound system, I felt nothing but pure energy coarse through my body as everyone rose to their feet and Sivan appeared on the stage. Not to mention, Sivan can dance, which he showed off with a group of troupe dancers. Sivan is one of the best pop stars of our generation, and he proved that each time he came out during Sweat.
Charli and Sivan rotated on and off throughout the night, which kept the crowd on their toes while giving the artists a much-needed break. They each took on a different performance style, with Charli staying solo on the stage and commanding the attention as she slid around and threw herself around, truly feeling the essence of each track, while Sivan slipped into choreography with his team of dancers as every new song arrived.
After hearing that Kesha and Tate McRae came out during the first L.A. show on Oct. 15, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that Vinnie Hacker was the only surprise guest for our show. I desperately wanted Lorde to make an appearance after she joined Charli during their Sept. 23rd show at Madison Square Garden to sing the “Girl, so confusing” remix, but that (admittedly) was wishful thinking on my part.
The entire show was, as advertised, one big party. My standout moments of the night were Charli’s performance of “Sympathy Is A Knife” followed immediately by “Guess.” In true Brat fashion, my sister opted for a bathroom break during two of the best songs of the night, and took a tumble down the steps on her way out. Of course, Sivan’s shining moment in most of his shows is his IRL recreation of his music video for “One of Your Girls.” While Ross Lynch wasn’t there to play his part, Hacker subbed in and sent the crowd into a roar.
You’d think Charli and Sivan would lose steam by the end of the show, but that certainly wasn’t the case. As the setlist began to dwindle down, the energy elevated higher, and they didn’t give the audience an option to get tired either. Charli amped the crowd up by playing “Vroom Vroom,” and kept spirits up as Sivan joined her to perform their joint 2018 track “1999.” It was nothing but pure magic seeing these two legends in pop share the stage to perform one of my favorite tracks that taps on nothing but pure nostalgia.
The show didn’t lose any zest as Charli and Sivan passed the baton for the final few songs, and they closed the show out with arguably the most beloved remix from Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, aka the “Talk Talk” remix (duh!). It was the perfect way to end the night that highlighted both Charli and Sivan’s music, but above all, their friendship.
As a fan, it was incredible to see how Charli and Sivan’s careers have blossomed, but it was even more invigorating to see the environment they created for the Sweat crowd. It was an atmosphere of no judgment, pure fun, and (as promised), too much sweat from a night of dancing and singing my ass off that will stay with me for life.