Charli XCX, a decade long popstar and Troye Sivan, a singer-songwriter and actor from Australia, recently kicked off their heavily anticipated SWEAT Tour in Detroit, Michigan. Both artists have recently released new albums; with XCX’s “BRAT” charting in the Top 10 for 13 weeks. “Something to Give Each Other” by Sivan, while not as popular, still charted in the Top 20, and had a trending song on social media titled, “One Of Your Girls”.
Promptly at 8:30 on September 14th, lights started to dim and the Little Caesars Arena erupted as Sivan took the stage. His set opened with the songs “Got Me Started,” “What’s The Time Where You Are?” and “My My My!” These songs set a tone for the rest of the night, getting everyone hyped, but still anticipating all the songs left on the setlist. As “My My My!” ended, a bright green curtain started to fall, jumpstarting the beginning of XCX’s set. She opened with her hit song “365,” followed by its sister song “360,” and ending her three-song run with “Von dutch.” The two continued to alternate every couple songs for the entire night, which helped to keep the concert exciting by allowing a slight shift in vibe.
Sivan’s next few songs included “In My Room,” “Dance To This” and “Rager teenager!” If you didn’t know those songs before, you were certainly going to be listening to them on repeat when you got home. XCX then played “Club classics,” a song from an older album, “pop 2,” titled “Unlock it (Lock it),” “Sympathy is a knife” and “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish. Eilish was not brought out onto stage, but her verse and vocals were played in the background. Sivan then came on to play his song “Bloom.” This was definitely a stand out moment in the concert. The lighting, dancing and set as a whole really came together during his song. XCX then played another one of her hit songs, “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde.” This song, similar to “Guess,” had Lorde’s voice and verse, even though she was not in attendance, either. Sivan’s hit song “One of Your Girls” was definitely a highlight of the night. Those who may not have known many of his other songs certainly knew this one. XCX then played “Everything is romantic,” “Speed Drive” and “Apple”. During “Apple,” which went viral on social media this summer due to a dance created online, someone was chosen from the crowd to do the dance in front of the arena. It was such a fun way to bring fans into the experience! Sivan followed XCX by playing “Silly,” “You” and “STUD” for the last few songs of his set. XCX then played “Vroom Vroom” and brought Sivan back out to play “1999,” one of the two songs they have together. This was the end of both of their acts, but everyone in the audience was cheering for an encore. They obliged. During XCX’s encore, she played “Track 10,” one of her lesser known songs, and then, of course, her iconic hit, “I Love It.” Sivan played “Honey” and “Rush” and they ended the night with XCX’s song “Talk talk,” featuring Sivan.
If you have the chance to go to the SWEAT Tour, it’s certainly worth considering… if you can overlook the ticket prices. Overall, this concert was a wonderful experience. Both artists’ sets had amazing lighting, sound and production, and it was really amazing to see their albums and music come to life.
