Charli XCX and Troye Sivan bring “Sweat Tour” to Music City

On Wednesday night, Nashville ran into it again and again, feeling the rush.

Pop sensation Troye Sivan and “Brat Summer” star Charli XCX were finally here for their sold-out show in Music City. The crowd greeted her with cult-like devotion, filling the arena with thousands of neon green outfits and slim sunglasses.

“Apple,” “Von dutch,” and “360” electro-pop artist Charli Tour” as a co-headliner at the Bridgestone Arena hit maker.

During the joint tour, the two artists switched off their sets during a 110-minute show, playing no more than four tracks before handing the microphone back to the other artist. For a few highly anticipated songs, XCX and Sivan took the stage together.

The two musical collaborators and friends kicked off their 21-date tour on September 14th in Detroit and stopped in Nashville for their tenth show of the series. The joint tour is the largest arena tour headlined by both artists and marks a significant career boom for both.

Sivan's October 2023 album Something To Give To Each Other received two Grammy nominations and worldwide recognition.

And as for XCX – it was almost impossible to ignore their influence on the music scene and pop culture in general, as the social phenomenon “Brat Summer” swept the entire planet in 2024 following the release of their album “Brat” in June.

More: Is Kamala Harris having a “brat summer”? What it means and why their 2024 campaign is taking it up

The album became synonymous with a lime green hue, a lifestyle filled with party-girl fun, smudged eyeliner and uncompromising – even brazen – confidence. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris even endorsed “Brat” and used the font and color in her campaign.

As Charli XCX's fame skyrocketed, many fans wondered if touring together was the best decision for her career. But on Tuesday, the highly collaborative nature of the show was anything but disappointing.

Although no photographers were allowed in the show, we will do our best to paint the picture for you.

Here are the highlights of the evening.

Charli XCX brings “Club Classics” and turns Nashville into a discotheque

Fans couldn't wait to see Charli XCX at the peak of her career – and she made a splash.

XCX transported Nashville to an emotionally inclusive European nightclub full of strobes, heavy bass, and unpredictable beats and blasts.

A giant “Brat” banner fell around a stage and jutted out into the audience, and as anticipation grew, the sheet dropped to reveal XCX in a wedding veil, white bodysuit and her signature sunglasses.

Throughout the evening, XCX wore a new outfit almost every time she took the stage: a tight orange dress, a tattered long skirt, and several pairs of edgy, knee-high boots.

Charli kicked off her show with the hit “365” along with show opener Shygirl, taking the audience into a high-energy, aggressive exercise in the best of electronic dance-pop. Flashing lights rained down on crowd favorites like “Von Dutch,” “Club Classics,” and the darker “Sympathy is a Knife.”

During their performance, XCX was chaotic and hectic, but in a cool girl way.

She kicked and punched the air, climbed onto railings and stage equipment, grabbed and shook the metal cage under the catwalk. She was grinding and thrusting and twisting in a raw and aggressive, yet sensual way.

Their lawless stage presence seemed to suggest: hyperpop entertainers can go over rock stars too.

In a sexually charged performance of “Guess,” Charli licked the glass stage beneath her and a camera streamed footage from below as she sang, “You wanna guess the color of my underwear.” Fans went wild.

During “Apple,” XCX challenged the cameramen to find some cute fans to film the viral TikTok dance to the song, showing the stream backstage as she sang. The older hit “Spring Breakers” had the audience going wild.

While she performed, XCX traded back and forth with Sivan. “Nashville, you’re just as sexy as Troye Sivan tonight,” she said.

Sivan brings the “rush”

While Sivan is a global pop star, the sea of ​​”Brat” shirts in the audience suggested there were plenty of fans there for XCX. As the two performers first quickly switched stages, a few disoriented audience members came and went depending on who was on stage.

One criticism of the tour is the fact that the quick compromises between the stars resulted in a clunky, whip-smart show that was difficult to follow at times.

XCX was unpolished and, well, brat. Sivan's set was perfectly choreographed and thoughtfully designed. But for some viewers, the onstage compromises may resemble XCX's music: exhilarating, unpredictable and attention-grabbing.

Some critics have mentioned that He did justice to the task.

He opened the show with “Got Me Started” alongside six backup dancers wearing an earthy tank top and beige fringed pants. Like

The songs “My My My!”, “One of Your Girls” and “STUD” featured high-energy dance combinations full of steamy moments that celebrated the queer community and sensuality. Sivan shuffled, tumbled and jumped with his dancers – clearly influenced by acts like Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears.

Sivan went into overdrive for the encore song “Honey,” wearing an American flag tank top and a bright cowboy hat alongside his entourage, also wearing cowboy hats, as they performed a line dance to the song. He said he waited all night to sing the song and was excited to be in Nashville.

At one point, Sivan even noticed that a Belmont University graduate, Leland, was writing the song “Dance to This” with him. Sivan loved Nashville, he said, and thought the crowd was one of the best on the “Sweat Tour” to date.

And after Charli

But their auras will remain in the city. “Brat Autumn,” anyone?

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan's Nashville “Sweat” setlist

Act I – Troye Sivan:

Act I – Charli XCX:

Act II – Troye Sivan:

• In my room

• Dance to it

• Angry teenager!

Act II – Charli XCX

• Club classic

• Unlock it

• Compassion is a knife

• Guess

Act III – Troye Sivan:

Act III – Charli XCX:

• spring breakers

• Girl, so confusing

Act IV – Troye Sivan:

Act IV – Charli XCX:

• Everything is romantic

• Speed ​​Drive

• Apple

Act V – Troye Sivan:

Act V – Charli XCX:

Act V – Charli XCX & Troye Sivan:

Encore – Charli XCX:

Encore – Troye Sivan:

Encore – Charli XCX & Troye Sivan:

Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter for The Tennessean. You can reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Charli XCX and Troye Sivan bring “Sweat Tour” to Nashville: Concert Review