Fuck Project X; The SWEAT Tour Is the New Cultural Reference for a Good Party

Charli XCX’s rise to the top of pop is less a meteoric ascent and more of a slow burn, the kind of arc only a true pop architect could pull off. From teenage mixtape amateur to underground tastemaker to the current reigning name of mainstream pop, she’s taken notes every step of the way. Seeing her on the SWEAT tour feels like watching someone who’s absorbed every trick in the book, both the ones she wrote and the ones she inspired, then flipped it on its head for good measure. Troye Sivan, meanwhile, has also been making waves since his single "Rush" that he released as the first single from his album released last year Something To Give Each Other, an album that put forward his creative mastermind.

Their on-stage chemistry, honed from years of collaborations, now feels like it has reached its final form. It’s the kind of tour that isn’t just a victory lap but more of a statement: pop music is ours now, and we’ll do with it as we please. Watching them together, it’s hard not to feel a bit parasocial, like the proud parent whose kids have somehow not just survived the industry but come out on top. Still, not every parent gets to say their kids are out there selling out stadiums, performing at the edge of a platform, standing on top of the world while the rest of us scream from below.

All Photos credited to Henry Redcliffe

On September 25th, 2024, I went to see Charli XCX and Troye Sivan play at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It's safe to say that the venue became more of a nightclub than your regular concert hall. Instead of the traditional opening act, this co-headlining show was a showcase in synergy and collaboration, something the duo has mastered by now. With Charli and Troye trading songs back to back, creating a two-hour dance party that felt less like a performance and more of being invited to the coolest party you've ever went to. Fuck Project X; the SWEAT Tour is the new cultural reference for a good party.

The show opened with Troye Sivan, who immediately set the tone with performances, including "Got Me Started" and "My My My!" The latter, a track synonymous with Troye’s evolution as a pop artist, brought the crowd to its feet, their hands waving as he performed with ease, the natural performer he is. From the outset, it was clear that this tour was also designed to showcase Troye's newfound confidence, both in his choreography and stage presence. With a troupe of six dancers, Troye's set was sultry, intimate, and sexually charged. particularly during moments like “One of Your Girls,” where he rolled around on a bed, resulting in screams from the audience as one of his dancers joined him for a -very- provocative duet.

What made this night special, however, was the way Troye and Charli bounced off each other’s energy. Charli XCX, who exploded onto the stage shortly after Troye's initial set with a remix of “365” featuring Shygirl, wasted no time establishing herself as the electric force driving the evening forward. Dressed in one of many of the night’s outfits, a short skirt and thigh-high boots, Charli dominated the stage, feeding off the energy of the crowd which seemed to be intense, to say the least, many of whom were draped in lime green clothes in homage to her new album, Brat, as you would imagine.

Charli’s set was a celebration of her place at the forefront of modern pop. Songs like "Von Dutch" and "360" were declarations of her ascension as a pop icon, solidifying her status as a tastemaker whose music is as much a lifestyle as it is a soundtrack. The lighting design was particularly striking during her segments, with a slick red backlight transforming the stage into an arena-sized club. It was during "Von Dutch" that the magic of the production really came through. As the stage transitioned into a bed setup, a top-down camera provided a unique perspective, showing Charli lying down, singing while the lights flickered around her.

The duo weaved their performances together effortlessly, with neither taking full ownership of the night. Charli’s energetic performance of “Club Classics,” complete with a flashing silhouette and a teasing “boot shake” moment, was balanced by Troye’s slower, more sensual songs like "In My Room," where the blue and purple spotlights softened the room, offering a much-needed breather for what was to come.

Troye returned to the stage, this time clad in a green sweatshirt and yellow underwear, a look that echoed the brash aesthetic of the night. The fashion choices, lighting, and choreography were all meticulously aligned with the ethos of Brat, chaotic, rebellious, but undeniably glamorous. Troye’s dancing throughout the night, particularly during moments like his Michael Jackson-inspired lean in “Bloom,” showed a pop star fully comfortable in his skin, playing up to his image as a queer icon with charm and sexual magnetism that is impossible to deny.

One of the highlights of the night came when Charli and Troye joined forces for their duet "1999," where the pair’s banter and synchronized choreography felt less like a rehearsed moment and more like two friends simply enjoying the party. Their interactions with the audience were full of affection—Troye even cheekily asked, “Where’s the afterparty?” as he flirted with the crowd, lifting his shirt to reveal his abs, much to the delight of many.

The technical aspects of the show were flawless. If you’ve ever worked in live music, you know how difficult it is to use that word. From the hazers to the dynamic lighting setup, everything was designed to immerse the audience in an all-encompassing sensory experience. The hanging string lights that flickered behind Charli during “Speed Drive” and the rapid camera angles projected during the night helped elevate the performance to an almost cinematic level. But despite all of the high-tech production, there was still an intimacy that ran through the evening. Whether it was Troye engaging in a steamy, 15-second make-out session with one of his dancers or Charli dropping to her knees during "Sympathy Is a Knife," the evening never lost its raw, human touch, which is already at it’s core, what makes the two so exciting as pop stars.

The energy peaked when the stage went dark after their final number, with the audience chanting for an encore. Both artists reemerged to deafening cheers, each performing solo before ending the night together with “Talk Talk.” Charli, in a final sartorial statement, had changed into a blue dress, which she quickly shed mid-performance.

The encore encapsulated everything the SWEAT tour represented: sensuality, freedom, and the unrelenting desire to dance. Troye’s closing song, "Rush," was an exhilarating end to his part of the show. “I feel the rush,” he sang, and it was clear the entire arena did, too. The lights flashed red and blue, mimicking the music, as Troye and Charli led the crowd in one last cathartic release of energy, hooking arms for a synchronized dance that felt like the perfect culmination of the night.

Philly, as Troye noted, might have been the loudest crowd they’d encountered on the tour so far, and by the end of the night, it was clear why. Both Charli and Troye brought their A-game, transforming the Wells Fargo Center into a hedonistic utopia where the only rule was to let go and have fun. It encapsulated everything the duo represents within the culture: Bringing back fun, self-expression, queerness, and unapologetic joy.

In the end, Charli and Troye didn’t just share the stage together but mostly a vision of what pop music, and pop culture, could be: bold, inclusive, fun, and most importantly entirely on their own terms.