Chicago goes berserk as Charli XCX and Troye Sivan stun on the Sweat tour

The roasting summer is certainly not over yet.

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan turned a sold-out United Center into a 23,500-capacity club on Monday night during the ninth installment of their Sweat Tour. With flashing lights, fascinating video projections and powerful singing, the two created an intoxicating atmosphere reminiscent of a dance floor.

When English singer-songwriter Charli XCX released her sixth studio album Brat in early June, the hyperpop project sent bright green waves across pop culture. With the simple sans serif font on the cover and the once unfashionable lime green background, the “Brat” brand has crept into clothing stores, memes, and presidential candidate Kamala Harris' campaign (Harris adopted the “Brat” stylization on social media after Charli XCX). . tweeted “kamala IS a brat”). The word “brat” even took on a new meaning: something fashionable, chic and cool.

Although Charli XCX's summer was more commercially successful, Sivan's music certainly held its own. While promoting his album Something to Give Each Other in October 2023, Sivan's suggestive dance moves and honey-like vocals made everyone in the audience swoon. His viral “Got Me Started” dance (which was parodied by SNL earlier this year) opened the concert with familiar moves.

However, the Sweat tour as a whole was certainly a celebration of all things brats, pop, clubbing, and accepting one's sexuality.

The singers took turns performing in sets of about three songs each. After Sivan's first set, Charli As the curtain fell, the pop icon emerged from artificial fog and sang the album's closing song, “365.” She continued to delight the audience with the singles “360” (the sister song to “365”) and “Von dutch”.

While Charli XCX brought angst and energy, Sivan tempered the concert with softer tunes like “Rager Teenager!” and “Dance to This.” He sat and lay on a metallic silver bed and serenaded fans under deep blue lights.

The performance styles of the two also complemented each other well. Charli XCX owned the stage with fashionable steps and wild dance moves. Sivan adopted a sleek, cool guy aesthetic and incorporated numerous dance routines into his troupe. Together, the headliners embodied sex, freedom and fun.

Most notable on set were Charli XCX's performance of “Apple” and Sivan's rendition of “One of Your Girls.” Although Charli XCX sang her popular song at one point, her crowd work and clean vocals were excellent throughout. The song highlighted one particular fan who enthusiastically performed the viral TikTok dance to the song “Apple” on screen. A video of Sivan in women's clothing preceded his performance of “One of Your Girls” and was reminiscent of the song's music video. While he sang, Sivan performed a sensual chair dance that captivated the entire arena.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Sweat tour was its stage. Three layers of tall scaffolding served as a backdrop to the main portion of the stage, providing vertical dimension as the singers performed. Scaffolding was also used under the stage walkway, leading to a platform closer to the center of the arena. Charli XCX and Sivan used this area for several segments of the show, strutting around the room during their performance. Singers have certainly used backstage areas as part of their performance, but the understage area is a new innovation.

Although Charli

But nothing compared to the energy of the crowd. Almost everyone in attendance danced all night until 10:30 p.m., jumping up and down to synthesizer beats. One of a few fans wore a neon green garment with lyrics such as “I'm so Julia” and “365 Party Girl”.

If one thing is true, it's that Charli XCX and Sivan know how to have a good time. Oh, and brat fall has just begun.

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