Brat, arguably the album that has defined 2024, was in full swing Saturday night at the Kaseya Center, with concertgoers decked out in neon green and slinky, sexy attire to rave alongside two of the biggest pop stars in the industry right now. One could argue some even got a little too excited for the event, with New Times spotting a few people already falling over at the gates from the well-intentioned pre-gaming in which many seemed to partake.
Once inside the arena, it was evident the night would be like no other. This was already clear with the venue's setup, which included an industrial-like feel complete with railings, an underground tunnel, light-up wires overhead, and a DJ booth guarded by chainlink fences in the middle of the floor. Plus, instead of seating, the pit in the center of the arena allowed many attendees to get a money shot of Charli and Troye throughout the evening.
Though it wasn't like your typical concert from visuals alone, it was certainly reminiscent of underground rave culture — with which many South Floridians are extremely familiar.
After most of the audience trickled in for the sold-out show, the two enormous LED screens on stage flickered, welcoming everyone to the Sweat Tour. Soon enough, Sivan took the stage with his cavalcade of dance, kicking things off with "Got Me Started," complete with the intricate choreography from the song's music video. He kept the momentum going with performances of "What's the Time Where You Are?" and "My My My!"
Eventually, the stage went dark, and all eyes moved to the end of the catwalk. An enormous lighting rig lowered, releasing neon-green curtains with the word "Brat" emblazoned on them. Strobe lights built up the anticipation before the curtains dropped and revealed the persona the majority of the crowd was here to see: Charli XCX.
She quickly welcomed Miami to the show, kicking off with the Easyfun remix of "365" and inviting opener Shygirl to the stage. Afterward, she continued with performances of Brat's two lead singles, "360" and "Von Dutch." Charli XCX's energy was so infectious that it made her quite literally the life of the party.
The show alternated between Sivan and Charli, with the former quickly showing up to perform "Dance to This" and "Rager Teenager!" He was also quite forward with his requests for the audience to sing along, at one point shouting, "Fucking sing it to me, Miami!"
The artists alternated once again, with Charli appearing on the left platform swinging against the rails to "Club Classics." At this point of the show, if there was a world record for the show that made the arena's sections feel equivalent to a minor earthquake from the amount of jumping and dancing, then this was it. She raged along to the rave-inducing beats of the song, swinging over the platform's railing.
She eventually transitioned to songs like "Guess," which kept the momentum of the building's energy going without skipping a beat. Somewhere between these songs, the notoriously transparent musician admitted to the crowd that she was "a bit high" through her Auto-Tuned mic. Charli's impressive athletic ability also shone through as she bent into wild and promiscuous poses throughout her set, not to mention the ass-shaking skills she demonstrated in her high-rise mini skirt.
Just after "Guess," the silhouette of a familiar feminine figure appeared on the screens. First appeared a pair of heels, then a back shot of a black thong peeking through the woman's skirt, then the woman's face. The woman was Sivan in his drag look from the music video that broke the internet.
During the video, he picked up a ringing landline phone and chatted with his caller, presumably a booty call for the evening. He then broke out into the music video's accompanying song, "One of Your Girls," as he danced with a sexy model sitting in a chair. Audible gasps and shrills from the crowd followed when, at one point, the model lunged at Sivan from behind to do more than just chat, making it one of the steamiest moments of the night.
Some other highlights of the evening included Charli bringing out old hits, from "Vroom Vroom" to another era-defining song, "I Love It." She eventually appeared alongside Sivan for their collab hit "1999," even supporting each other as they rose to the rafters on a riser. From there, she proudly proclaimed, "Miami is the best show. I'm just going to call it right now." Sivan mused in agreement, and the crowd roared as they accepted the badge with honor.
The only critique for this show is that the decibels of the Kaseya Center's sound system could have been tested further so that the music could literally pound the stadium during hits like "Everything Is Romantic" in true rave fashion.
Toward the end of the show, Sivan's "Rush" moved the crowd so that everyone felt more than satisfied. His strong vocals throughout the show, alongside crisp vignettes of poses with his muscular dancers, demonstrated that he earned his well-deserved place alongside Charli for this tour and even his place as one of pop music's foremost innovators today. Extra points for sharing an open-mouthed, no-fucks-given kiss with one of his dancers at the tail-end of his performance.
Both stars ended the show with the remix version of Charli's "Talk Talk."
In the end, what needs to be said about this show is that it's more than just that. New Times has seen a variety of artists and live events, all of which seem to follow similar formulas in crafting a trendy experience with all the hits that people flock to see. But both Charli and Sivan are not only changing the very fabric of the way pop music sounds, they're changing how people experience music altogether.
The two pulled from various subcultures to pull this off, including everything from indie sleaze, EDM, hard techno, and queer-centered influences. The raves of the underground music world have now become the face of today's mainstream venues that have often been safe, experimental spaces for so many for so long.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan are redefining where that music can find its place, culminating in a moment that real music aficionados have been evolving toward for years. They're doing it all one sweaty tour stop at a time, leaving Miami as its latest victim — changed for the better.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan Setlist:
- "Got Me Started"- "What's the Time Where You Are?"
- "My My My!"
- "365 (Easyfun remix with Shygirl)"
- "360"
- "Von Dutch"
- "In My Room"
- "Dance to This"
- "Rager Teenager!"
- "Club Classics"
- "Unlock It"
- "Sympathy Is a Knife"
- "Guess"
- "Bloom"
- "Spring Breakers"
- "Girl, So Confusing"
- "One of Your Girls"
- "Everything Is Romantic"
- "Speed Drive"
- "Apple"
- "Silly"
- "You"
- "STUD"
- "365"
- "Vroom Vroom"
- "1999"
Encore:
- "Track 10"
- "I Love It"
- "Honey"
- "Rush"
- "Talk Talk"
