At Bridgestone Arena, 10/2/2024
In Tennessee, the beginning of October is fall break season, when everyone you know with school-age children flocks to Dollywood or Panama City to soak up the last few warm days of the year. Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena was a bit more “spring break” — or perhaps Spring Breakers — as Nashville kept Brat Summer going for one more night.
The jam-packed stop on co-headliners Troye Sivan and Charli XCX’s SWEAT tour brought a full-on rave to Music City’s friendly neighborhood Enormodome. English DJ and rapper Shygirl got the crowd primed for a night of high-octane fun. Backed by swirling images of colorful blobs and butterflies straight out of a baby sensory video, the producer and MC bounced about and broke it down to anthems about being “the main character” as well as an (all-caps) “FREAK.” It was a short and sweet burst of cardio before the relay race of the rest of the night.
After a quick cool-down, a team of dancers kicked off the main event as Sivan sang the appropriately titled “Got Me Started.” While Sivan joined the dance crew in re-creating the choreography from the music video, his tiny red undies from the video wardrobe sadly did not make an appearance.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan at Bridgestone Arena, 10/2/2024
After two more songs — whose staging featured some suggestive mic placement and Sivan dancing around in a pair of fringed khaki pants that recalled a costume from The Lion King Broadway show — the lights darkened once again. The focus shifted to the front of the stage and a large green fabric cube with “brat” written on each side. As the sheets dropped, a cloud of fog dissipated to reveal Charli XCX, ready to lead the crowd in back-to-back bangers: “365,” “360” and “Von Dutch,” all essentials from the evolving album that is Brat (which has yielded one expanded edition and a forthcoming remix album). The singer was decked out in what’s become a very Nashville look, with an embellished white tank top and a voluminous veil. Maybe the pop star, who is engaged to The 1975’s George Daniel, is considering Nashville for her own bachelorette party?
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan at Bridgestone Arena, 10/2/2024
Rather than perform separate sets, the co-headliners mashed up their repertoires into one extended set. They swapped off hosting duties every few songs and sprinkled a few duets throughout the show. The stage itself featured asymmetrical screens and scaffolding to create a multistory performance space. A raised catwalk through the middle of the pit gave both performers and their dancers a place to immerse themselves in the crowd, separated only by a cage. (Shoutout to Nashville stage-production wiz and friend of the Scene Jonny Kingsbury for his work on this tour.) During Charli’s cheeky Billie Eilish collab “Guess,” the screens revealed that there was a crotch cam beneath the stage, answering the undergarment-related questions posed in the song.
Charli XCX at Bridgestone Arena, 10/2/2024
This was a night with no slow songs — just nonstop dancing. The crowd was clearly feeling themselves, and the performers mentioned several times how much they could feel the crowd’s love and energy (and recognized Nashville’s reputation as a town with crowds who like to party). The whole room seemed to sync up during Charli’s vulnerable “Sympathy Is a Knife” and Sivan’s 2018 hit “My My My!” The only real disappointment: Sivan did not bring out Kacey Musgraves (currently on tour elsewhere) to perform their duet “Easy.” It’s not nice to tease, Troye!
There couldn’t have been a more perfect sendoff to Brat Summer. It was a rare night without worries or cares — about work, school, the election or anything else. Just vibes and a cathartic release to lose yourself in. It seems Charli and Troye knew that what Nashville really needed was a good party, and they delivered.
