Concert Review: Troye Sivan & Charli XCX Bring the 'SWEAT Tour' To NYC

Over and over again, Madison Square Garden shook last night.

9 years ago, I attended Troye Sivan’s debut New York City show. It was the final date on his first-ever tour, aptly titled ‘Troye Sivan Live,’ supporting both his second EP Wild, and in anticipation of his upcoming debut album Blue Neighbourhood. He performed at Le Poisson Rouge, a 700-capacity basement venue on Bleecker Street. Tickets cost $17.50, and a 16+ age restriction initially imposed had to be removed due to youth demand. The crowd, whose flailing hands often displayed Sharpie’d X’s to indicate that they were too young to drink, blew him away as they sang along to every song (even the one that hadn’t been released yet).

Last night, Troye Sivan sold out New York City’s legendary Madison Square Garden, co-headlining the ‘SWEAT Tour’ alongside Charli XCX, who’s latest LP, brat, birthed the ‘brat summer’ aesthetic of last season. The show served as a culmination of years of work for both of the growing pop stars, who have both been active on the pop music scene since the 2010’s. ‘the SWEAT Tour’ is the first headlining arena tour for both artists.

It’s been nothing short of incredible watching Sivan grow as an artist and performer over the last almost-decade. He’s found his comfort and confidence on the stage. He’s sold out every venue tier along the way; from Le Poisson Rouge, to Webster Hall, to Terminal 5, to Radio City Music Hall, and now he’s selling out Madison Square Garden (and based on the demand and outrageous resale prices of these tickets, either of these acts could have sold the Garden out on their own or for a second night).

It’s not just the size of the crowd or venue either; it’s also the magnitude of the performance. Early on in his career, Troye was like a little string bean, with one gyrating, woozy dance move. At Madison Square Garden last night, flanked by a troupe of backup dancers, he displayed his aptitude for full-blown choreographed dance routines, and seemingly never missed a beat. The gasps of my friend, who’s been at my side for almost every Troye show since Le Poisson Rouge, further reinforced that perspective. To watch him not only discover and embrace his own sex appeal, and also be able to execute complex dance routines, is nothing I could have ever imagined in that basement on Bleecker Street in 2015.

My relationship with Charli XCX’s has been less consistent over the years.I’ve done more exploring this year, because like most others, I too had a ‘brat summer.’ Her new album brat, which initially didn’t stick for me but clicked after a second and third listen, has more undeniable bops than not. The remixes that have been trickling out and will soon culminate in a full remix LP, are fantastic. Though I despised Icona Pop’s ubiquitous “I Love It,” which is driven by her vocals, songs like “Boys,” “Blame It On Your Love” (which was performed last night in its original, sparse yet captivating iteration, “Track 10”), and “Used To Love Me” have all caught my ear over the years.

Part of what made this show so fantastic was the absence of sparring egos. These two acts genuinely respect and revere one another, save for Sivan’s deifying praises of XCX throughout the show. There was no opener-headliner dynamic here: Sivan and XCX intertwined between one another, doing a few songs each before yielding to their counterpart, plus the occasional, anticipated overlap. The structure kept the show going almost uninterrupted for nearly two hours, and maintained a steady, sweaty flow of energy and excitement from the sold-out crowd.

After a brief, but energetic set from opening act Shygirl, Sivan took the stage around 8:30, He opened with the apt “Got Me Started,” from his triumphant 2023 LP Something To Give Each Other. The song revolves around the nostalgic synths from Bag Raiders’ 2009 hit “Shooting Stars.” At the song’s bridge, Sivan dropped to his knees and sang into the microphone, which was suddenly being held phallically by one of his dancers. It’s salacious in all the right ways, him looking up full of desire, and grabbing the microphone suggestively.

XCX took the stage in true brat fashion, after an all-encompassing, vibrant, lime green curtain with ‘brat’ emblazoned on it surrounded the end of the runway and dropped to the floor. XCX got some of the biggest cheers of the night as she stormed the stage with “365.” Her sets were sparse, absent of background dancers. She relied on chaotic, yet fittingly blinding strobe lights, and trendy camera work that emphasized ranging angles to create an expansive, yet at times intimate, experience. Her music is faster paced than much of Sivan’s, and she effortlessly whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

The Garden lived up to its legendary reputation and sparked a few unforgettable surprises, mainly during XCX’s stage-time. Between songs, a curious figure in a tutu appeared standing in front of one of the screens on the edge of the stage, Addison Rae (who is a multi-hyphenate that doesn’t excel at anything in particular) delivered the debut performance of her latest single “Diet Pepsi” alongside XCX and Sivan, which sparked fans to tweet hopes and dreams of an official remix from the trio. Rae reappeared on the main stage alongside XCX for the live debut of their“Von Dutch” remix.

Shortly thereafter was the moment that really shook the venue. During XCX’s “Girl, so confusing,” Lorde appeared from the end of the runway to inject her verse from the remix, also marking this remix’s live debut. Bedlam ensued, screams erupted, and joy was ubiquitous.

Other highlights included Sivan’s performance of “One Of Your Girls,” which came with a lap dance and a bar routine a la the music video, as well as the co-headliners’ convergence for a remix of their first union, “1999.” They closed the show perfectly, with a performance of their latest, the remix to XCX’s “Talk, talk,” which dropped just over a week ago. Based on the way this show played out, these two could easily do solo tours after and each fill this venue to capacity.

‘brat summer’ may be over, but it’s shaping up to be a sweaty fall. Don’t miss this show.

the ‘SWEAT Tour’ concludes in Seattle on October 23.

Pre-order Charli XCX’s expanded brat but it’s completely different but it’s still brat, and shop her official merch collection.

Shop Troye Sivan’s official merch and more.

Stream the ‘SWEAT Tour’ setlist: