As Denver’s summer comes to an end, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan stopped at Ball Arena on their joint 2024 “Sweat” Tour, a 21-city spectacle promising to soak up every last drop of “brat summer.” If you spent any time on the internet this past year, you were likely exposed to the “brat” phenomenon. The name comes from Charli’s deluxe album, which dominated the Billboard charts, with 17 out of its 18 tracks charting in the first week, representing over a third of the entire top 50. Partnering with Troye Sivan, who had just released his wildly successful album Something to Give Each Other, the duo shared TikTok virality and now the stage, delivering a refreshingly unique take on a headline tour.
READ: Review — Suki Waterhouse Goes Full Blown Starlet at Mission Ballroom
The atmosphere at Ball Arena was electric, with the floor transformed into a dark, club-like scene where extravagantly dressed fans pumped fists and danced with abandon. The venue stayed dim, fog seeping through the air to set the mood. The stage was designed with industrial grit, featuring scaffolding climbing up a glowing backdrop, two elevated catwalks in front of massive screens livestreaming the artists, and a long runway extending into the crowd, ending at a small square stage in the center. It was grungy, messy, and exciting all at once, perfectly embodying the tour’s vibe.
As the audience buzzed, strobe lights fired off and a low bass rumbled, slowly building into a full-bodied energy that had the entire crowd’s attention. Suddenly, a faint Australian accent echoed through the arena: “Are you fucking ready, Denver?” Troye Sivan strutted onto the stage with his posse of backup dancers, their presence commanding from the start. Troye exuded effortless confidence, amplified by his soft voice and boyish good looks. The dancers, dressed in distressed work jumpsuits, performed precise choreography. Troye’s set felt like a carefree joyride — like sticking your head out of a car window while the music blares and the wind rushes past. It was playful and free, the soundtrack to a summer fling, with songs like “What’s the Time Where You Are” and “My My My” setting the tone for a night of pure joy. Audience members threw their hands in the air, singing along as Troye’s voice soared, the collective excitement palpable. Then, without warning, the lights went dark, and Troye disappeared.
The stage pulsed back to life as Charli XCX’s signature electropop pierced through the air. Giant slime-green curtains descended at the center of the arena, emblazoned with the low-res “brat” text that had become iconic. The same green hue flickered throughout the crowd as fans donned their best brat-themed attire. When the curtains crashed to the floor, there she was: Charli XCX, a true pop icon. She kicked off her set with “365,” joined by opener Shygirl for a fiery performance. If Troye’s set was the carefree joy of a summer sunset, Charli’s was the wild, blurry nights that followed — the kind of nights that never seem to end. Charli’s music celebrated the chaos of party culture, with flirty lyrics and driving synth beats turning Ball Arena into a massive, high-energy club. Songs like “360,” which blew up on TikTok, captured the viral essence of the “brat summer” movement.
What made the concert truly unique was its format. Instead of one headliner following the other, Troye and Charli alternated the spotlight in 3-5 song stints, keeping the pacing fresh and unpredictable. Each transition came with new outfits, props, and lighting schemes, ensuring there was never a dull moment. When one performer traded places with the other, you eagerly anticipated their re-emergence. The cycle of excitement felt perfectly aligned with the chaotic yet thrilling energy of the “brat summer” theme. Any sense of fatigue that can sometimes settle in during long headline sets was kept at bay by the duo’s dynamic approach.
A standout moment of the night came during Troye’s intimate “bedroom” set. A silk bed was placed on the center stage, where Troye lay sprawled out in a 90s R&B-inspired outfit while fans illuminated the arena with their phone flashlights. The sultry melodies of “In My Room” transported the crowd from the club to the bedroom, the sexy energy palpable as everyone swayed along, love-drunk on the night. Before launching into his TikTok viral hit “One of Your Girls,” a video interlude played of Troye flirting on a landline phone before the lights revealed him grinding on a dancer seated stoically in a metal chair, mirroring the music video. The crowd erupted with gasps and screams as the steamy performance played out, Troye embodying the dreamy, seductive energy he’s become known for.
Charli, in contrast, brought her feral stage persona to life with dark sunglasses, ass-shaking, and a constant sense of controlled chaos. Her set was an extension of her album, brat, a project exploring themes like trauma, womanhood, self-image, and the unrealistic expectations of society. Charli didn’t shy away from the messiness of her experiences, inviting fans to join her in the cathartic release. Tracks like “I Think About It All the Time” offered introspective moments, while others glamorized the wild, never-ending party. But if you came to the show looking for tender moments, you wouldn’t have found many—this performance fully embraced the album’s namesake, leaning into the abandon and euphoria of “brat summer.“
The night peaked when Charli performed the viral TikTok hit “Apple,” which had its moment with a fan-created dance earlier in the year. The audience erupted as cameras captured fans recreating the dance while Charli stomped across the catwalk, hitting power poses that commanded the room. As she egged the crowd on, the floor shook from the sheer energy of everyone jumping, screams of excitement filling the air. By the time older hits like “Vroom Vroom” blasted through the arena, it felt like the entire venue had transformed into an exclusive underground rave.
The duo eventually joined forces onstage for duets of “1999” and “Talk Talk” before thanking each other and the audience, bringing the night to a close. What Charli XCX and Troye Sivan achieved with the “Sweat Tour” was nothing short of remarkable. They pulled from a diverse array of subcultures—EDM, indie sleaze, queer influences, and more—creating a tour that encapsulated the wild, carefree energy of Summer 2024. It was a celebration of fun, chaos, and self-expression, one that will surely live on in fans’ minds as a nostalgic echo of an unforgettable 2024 summer.
Link to original article