Pop phenomena Charlotte Aitchison and Troye Mellet – better known as Charli XCX and Troye Sivan respectively – brought their dual-headlining “Sweat Tour” to Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday.
The tour is a combined spectacle of the pair’s most recent studio albums. Mellet released his third studio album entitled “Something To Give Each Other” in 2023.
The album has received more mainstream attention through its critically praised lead single, “Rush,” and Mellet’s drag queen portrayal in the music video for “One Of Your Girls.”
Likewise, Aitchison is riding her most commercially successful era yet with her 2024 release, “BRAT,” with its larger-than-life marketing techniques and a viral TikTok dance to the song “Apple.”
Aitchison and Mellet are not a new pairing; the two released “1999” in 2018 and “2099” in 2019 as songs part of Aitchison’s album, “Charli.”
Their most recent collaboration is a remix of Aitchison’s “Talk talk,” which is set to feature on a remixed edition of “BRAT” called “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.”
Familiarity with Aitchison and Mellet’s music was not enough to prepare for the opener, Blane Muise, otherwise known as Shygirl.
Muise’s music carries the same rap-flowed cadences as Aitchison’s and heavy synth instrumentation as Mellet’s, but the sloppy live mix level made it difficult to differentiate any of these elements.
All acts involved deserve respect for their punctuality. Preparing any concert to begin at its ticketed timeslot is becoming rarer, so it is especially impressive for a show with so many technical elements, both audibly and visually.
The main show is split into mini-acts first led by Mellet, then by Aitchison, with two to four songs in each set.
Mellet appropriately opened the show, peaking audience engagement by recreating visual moments from “Something To Give Each Other” and bringing a new power to older songs such as “Dance To This” with more mature vocals and an endearing animation of him dancing with the song’s duet partner, Ariana Grande.
He also gave a shout out to Belmont alum and producer Leland who produced a portion of Mellet’s album.
Mellet newly embracing sensuality in his new record has in turn made his performances compelling and controlled. Through having individual dances with each of his dancers on “STUD” and a synchronized light show to pair with the bassline of “Rager teenager,” Mellet honors his musical past with grace.
To contrast the previous act, Aitchison approached the stage with the brashness and vigor that most defines “BRAT.”
There is no sane or sanitary reason for her to lick the stage when performing “Guess,” but it is necessary to fully bring the party girl into the arena. Her strength is truly her shock value.
She also has her satirically wholesome moments like when she encourages fans to think about their best friends during “Girl, so confusing,” a song heralded for its display of overthinking and miscommunication between its subjects.
While Aitchison is a captivating figure, the stage spectacle cannot emphasize how intricate and technical her music is.
A song like “Club classics” gets diluted when played over loudspeakers where audiences can’t clearly hear the samples used.
An arena can’t do Aitchison’s music the specific sonic justices she can draw attention to during a DJ set.
Yet, the “Sweat Tour” is the duo's most successful attempt at bringing its music to a large stage.
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This story was written by Ria Skyer.
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