Charli XCX
United Center
Chicago, IL
September 30, 2024
Shrithik Karthik
One of my most anticipated shows of 2024 just came to the United Center on Monday, September 30th. It was the Sweat tour by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan. When I say I was excited, that truly is an understatement.
Previously, this tour was announced before the drop of the album “Brat,” and at the beginning, it was not quite a best seller. However, nobody truly understood the culture reset that came with the release of the “Brat” album. This album was her biggest seller in her entire career, and she single-handedly sold out almost every show on this tour. Not to mention, this was a co-headlining show with Troye Sivan, who had released “Something to Give Each Other” last year, so this was a show filled with a ton of fans from all over.
The night began with Shygirl, a singer and DJ from South London, whom I was unfamiliar with. That said, I really enjoyed her set as it fits the Brat theme. She had two backup dancers who accompanied her the whole time, and her personal DJ played her songs from the back. She definitely came in with the energy for an opener and did a great job warming up the crowd. The visuals very much gave off Vaporwave vibes, especially the ones that were rally big in like 2018. They gave her practically full audio access, which was a nice touch, incredibly almost complete control of the bass, which was bumping. “Encore,” her final song, was my absolute favorite. The beat went wild, and the bass was so strong, which I enjoyed. She killed it for an opener, and I will definitely continue to listen to her music!
It was 9:30 sharp, and immediately, the lights turned off, and the arena exploded. This was the moment practically everyone else had been waiting so long for. Troye Sivan was the first to start the show, coming out right after his dancers did their moves. He knew he wanted everyone to get hyped, so he told everyone to jump right before the switch to Charli. The thing that I liked was just how good this Co-Headlining performance was. This was likely the best version of two headliners playing the same show because they kept switching off each other every three songs. Charli would play her three, then Troye, and so on, which made it really good to see two very contrasting sides of the performance. Especially so because Troye had his backup dancers and performed very artistic, while Charli performed in a filthy, natural, hardcore, trashy style but in the best way.
Troye Sivan went off the stage, and the Green walls labeled Brat immediately came down. The Brat green was practically a trademark and had become a staple in her style. The energy was off the charts, and this was quickly one of my favorite moments of this year. Something completely unexpected was how she played the “365” remix with Shygirl instead of the original song, and in my personal opinion, the remix was just so much better. The bass was on full blast, the ground was shaking, people were screaming, the walls dropped, and it felt like my heart was about to explode. Immediately, she starts and says, “Chicago, what the F- is up,” if you couldn’t, this show was not PG. This time, her outfit started with an all-black outfit that I thought looked incredible. You could feel the entire arena go feral when that initial beat dropped. This was quickly one of the best tour intros I have seen all year, and wow, it was just a blast.
The rest of the show was just an absolute mishmash of energy from the two artists; Troy had a more artistic performing style, beautiful energy, great vocals, dancing, and more, while Charli had more of a get-down-and-dirty style. It was just so incredible, and personally not being the biggest fan of Troye, seeing him live was such a treat and he made the experience so worthwhile in every way. The whole performance had so much depth behind it, and the stage design was unique, with a walkway down to the center stage, a highrise pillar style, and more. It was just so good.
Everything was done perfectly, playing to their demographics and the audience; Charli and Troye kept it 100 the entire show. Her ability to turn a whole arena into a rave was unparalleled, and this tour was a life-changing performance. Though this was listed as a co-headlining tour, it was Charli’s night through and through. You can’t help but wonder if she wished to switch this tour to her’s only because I and many others would pay anything to experience something like that. Giving an absolute masterclass of performance, this was undeniably one of the year’s best shows, and Charli has quite literally changed the game. A true icon she is and an absolute banger of a show this was.
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