[Photo courtesy of Grace Koennecke]

By Grace Koennecke, Managing Editor

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan are not only collaborators, but best friends outside of the music industry. First collaborating in 2019 on “1999” and then “2099,” which were both later featured on XCX’s self-titled album, Charli, the two established themselves as pop stars with potential and unbeatable chemistry that is now harder to find in a new era of the genre. 

Last October, Sivan released his third album, Something To Give Each Other, while XCX recently released her sixth album, Brat, in June. In April, the two announced their first joint tour, titled “Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat,” to many fans’ surprise. 

With two successful album rollouts, the tour started on September 14 in Detroit, MI, quickly making its way to Columbus, Ohio, on September 20 at Nationwide Arena. As I anxiously awaited the presence of two of my favorite performers, the energy in the room was something I hadn’t quite experienced before. You practically couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a Brat logo, chains, metallic shirts and sets, and of course, silver and black sunglasses. 

As the lights dimmed and Sivan made his way to the stage, the room buzzed as he opened with “Got Me Started,” “What’s The Time Where You Are?” and “My My My!,” three of arguably his most popular songs. What made his opening set so captivating was his dancing alongside his background dancers, moving mechanically up and down the stage. The visuals were also simple but reminiscent of a summertime party, with vibrant blues, reds and purples shining onto a high-rise similar to what one would see in New York City.

Sivan quickly exited as a giant Brat curtain draped down out of the ceiling, guarding Charli XCX before she suddenly appeared in a gray graffiti-inspired matching set and black knee-high boots. The room, along with myself, erupted into piercing screams as she strutted around to iconic Brat staples, such as “360,” “Von dutch” and the unreleased “365 remix with easyfun and shygirl.” Her energy matched Sivan’s, but heightened the overall excitement in the arena that he slowly built us up to.

An interesting technique the singers used was performing in sets of two or three songs, switching on and off equally to save their energy. While this was effective, the only critique I’d suggest is having Sivan as a longer opening act, as it was pretty clear most people were there to see XCX. Many of Sivan’s songs following XCX, such as “In My Room,” “Dance To This (feat. Ariana Grande)” and “Rager teenager!” brought down the tempo of the night, and while this was intentional, the overall premise of the concert was for it to feel like a rave, which Sivan only managed to do more so at the end of the show.

Thankfully, Charli XCX returned for fan favorites “Club classics,” “Unlock It (Lock It) (feat. Kim Petras and Jay Park),” “Sympathy is a knife” and “Guess featuring Billie Eilish.” Throughout these tracks, she brought the craziness out, even spitting on stage and grinding against the see-through floor while being casted out on a giant green screen. This was one of the best parts of the set, as everyone was jumping and flicking their wrists to the beat, screaming along to songs about self-doubt, insecurities and looking hot. 

Even if it was more mellow, Sivan’s performance of “Bloom” was sensual and romantic, with purple light casting down on him as he lay in bed. His dancers surrounded the stage and moved with the crowd, while also acting out moments of passion with the singer that felt authentic. Soon, XCX appeared to perform “Spring breakers,” which originally wasn’t on the setlist until fans went online to request it following the first night of the tour. 

This song live was so chaotic but memorable, as XCX threatened to break the camera that followed her as she jerked around stage. It felt like you were in the club with her, which surprised me with being in such a giant venue. 

One of the more vulnerable parts of the night was the performance of “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde.” For all the women in the room, you could hear the frustration, confusion and anger associated with being a woman, especially as everyone shouted the notorious line: “‘Girl, you walk like a b*tch’ / When I was ten, someone said that / And it’s just self-defense / Until you’re building a weapon.” I will admit that I sobbed during this song, and honestly who wouldn’t with all the daily experiences women go through of feeling insecure, objectified and pitted against one another?

After pulling myself together, Sivan played the introduction to “One Of Your Girls,” which was a video of the singer in drag calling a potential lover. A beautiful song in general, Sivan and his dancers performed lap dances and tenderly embraced as he sang of wanting someone who is clearly hard to get. It was a romantic and touching performance, proving Sivan’s unabashed approach to expressing himself through performance.

XCX came back to perform “Everything is romantic” on the center B-stage in the arena, following into “Speed Drive” from the Barbie movie and then the TikTok famous “Apple,” with fans being picked from the crowd to perform the dance. Next, Sivan performed “Silly,” “You (feat. Regard and Tate McRae)” and “STUD,” which honestly were not extremely engaging, but still showed his creativity as a performer. 

Arguably the most fun of the night was the release that came from XCX’s performance of “365” and “Vroom Vroom,” two songs fans were waiting for the entire show. Imitating a cocaine-bumping club scene and then a high-speed chase, the singer screamed and pounced at the crowd, letting us take over to sing most of the songs. Sadly, I lost my voice right after this, but it was so worth it. 

Finally, the two singers joined forces to sing “1999,” with the B-stage rising up in the air to allow them to see the whole crowd. It was a bittersweet moment to see the two hug and jump around on stage together, and their chemistry was apparent even from my lower bowl seats. Making their way off stage, fans begged for an encore for a solid five minutes until XCX rose back on the B-stage to sing “Track 10.”

It wouldn’t be a Charli XCX show without the song that first launched her to fame, her duet with Icona Pop on “I Love It,” and this was definitely a nostalgic song to sing along to after hearing it since its release in 2013. Following this was Sivan’s “Honey” and “Rush,” with the latter being my favorite performance of his of the night. 

The show ended with the duo’s most recent collaboration, XCX’s remixed version of “Talk talk,” which was a playful end to a night full of partying, screaming, and obviously, sweating. Overall, the duo proved how effortless it was to do a joint tour, and it was by far one of the best live events I’ve been to all year.

If you’re looking to sweat, I highly suggest checking out “Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat” in a city near you this fall.