Charli XCX and Troye Sivan Make Us Sweat at TD Garden

Graphic by Sofia Giarrusso

By Lily Suckow Ziemer

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s “Sweat” tour has undoubtedly been one of the most highly anticipated events this year. Excitement has grown by way of Charli’s Boiler Room sets and Troye’s solo European tour. Needless to say, expectations were high as people flooded into TD Garden on Saturday night decked out in Brat neon green and “Rush” inspired outfits.

I arrived 15 minutes before the opener Shygirl was set to come on as many were still filing in. I found myself a couple feet from the barricade, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with people who’d arrived two hours earlier than me. The slowly growing swarm of eager fans all roared when Shygirl’s dancers and DJ came onstage.

Although I hadn’t heard of Shygirl before the “Sweat” tour, she proved to be the perfect opener for the show. Her electronic pop songs had everyone moving whether they knew the lyrics or not. Tracks like “4eva” and “Nike” were the perfect preamble for the club-like environment the “Sweat” tour set out to accomplish. Before concluding, Shygirl implored if the audience wanted to hear one more song. Screams of “yes!” were met with the perfect song to close out a set, “encore.”

A tour with two headliners is not something many have experienced. I was curious going in how Troye and Charli would structure the show so as not to favor one of them as the “real” headliner. The answer was one long performance. Charli and Troye switched off after two or three songs, and even came together two times to perform together. 

The show kicked off with Troye’s “Got Me Started.” His voice was strikingly clear, and when the chorus started he joined his dancers in the choreography. It was with the release of his single “Rush” in 2023 that Troye truly began having coordinated dance routines, but watching him perform, it felt as natural as if he’d been doing it his whole career. Even some of his older songs like 2018’s “Bloom” incorporated choreography that made the performance all the more engaging. Troye and his dancers would bunch into groups and spread their arms in what someone next to me called “a renaissance painting.” 

Charli’s performance went a different route that felt befitting of her music, giving her all in every song. Giant green curtains reading “brat” dramatically rose and fell before Charli walked out to sing her first song, “365.” Her presence filled the arena as she moved about the stage exuding the exact energy her music presents. Charli interacted with every part of the stage, thrashing against the metal fencing of a catwalk under the stage, dancing across the stage in flowing outfits to make sure no section of people was ignored, throwing her sunglasses into the crowd, and even getting down to lick the stage. 

Charli and Troye came together twice towards the end of the show to perform songs they collaborated on. First for “1999,” the two were raised above the crowded pit on a platform. Then the new “Talk Talk” remix, Charli and Troye made their way throughout every part of the stage as a bidding farewell to the audience.

The format of the “Sweat” tour is like nothing I’ve seen before, and it works better than I could’ve ever expected. Performances were seamlessly back to back accommodating outfit,set changes, and much needed rest for the artists. The bare bones stage design was well-suited for the energy and presence of talented performers like Charli and Troye. And most of all, the chemistry was palpable. It is clear this dual headline tour wasn’t merely a business move. The artists have clear love and respect for each other, and a desire to create the same energetic environment with their performances. 

In promoting this tour, Troye and Charli put an emphasis on how they wanted to transform venues into clubs. It is easy to say they accomplished it. Even from my spot a couple feet from the barricade, I noticed myself and others putting our phones down just to enjoy the music. We jumped around the whole time, to the point where my sunglasses fell off multiple times. I felt my voice giving out singing along to “Von Dutch” and screaming no matter what section Troye pointed to. We all left the concert exhausted in the best way–sweat marks and all.

Attending the “Sweat” tour is an experience that I will never forget, and I hope to see more performers fostering the same energy Charli and Troye fostered.