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A global pop culture sensation, Troye Sivan has been keeping busy attending the Met Gala, going viral on Tik Tok, being impersonated on SNL, touring with Charli XCX on the Sweat Tour, being nominated at the Grammy’s and most recently, winning his 9th ARIA award. Finally, he has returned to Australia to bring the euphoric Something To Give Each Other Tour to his Aussie fans. Here are some of our highlights, as told by our favourite Troye ad libs.
“Weren’t the Australian Idol final’s held here?”
Eora, Sydney welcomed 12,000 fans to the historic Sydney Opera House Forecourt over two sold-out shows to celebrate the return of Australia’s Pop Prince, Troye Sivan. Supported by fellow Australian Artists Tyde Levi and Nick Ward, this was indeed where the Australian Idol finals were once held, and where international and home grown talent has continued to flourish.
I attended the Friday night show, and the weather did not lend itself to the picturesque harbour moment that you’d normally hope for, but it was definitely no deterrent. The fans packed into the mosh and took their spots on the famed steps, bracing for whatever may come from the ominous storm clouds above.
The stage is set with two large screens on either side and a moving rectangular box screen in the centre over the main performance area, which we see throughout the show act as a centrepiece, storytelling tool and a piece of the puzzle rather than just an accompanying screen.
“I’m about to dance my tiny little a** off.”
The seventy minute show was immaculately composed, and truly nothing short of phenomenal. The set, camera-work, lighting and music worked harmoniously with the dancers and choreography - which I fear I could write an entire novel on - to welcome the audience into the simultaneously luxurious and sweaty world of Troye Sivan.
The performance featured some of the hugely celebrated choreography by Sergio Reis, who after working with Sivan went on to feature his unique style in massive campaigns with Calvin Klein and GAP. Reis’ work in the musicians Rush video clip precipitated an artistic cultural shift, much like Parris Goebel’s creative direction for Justin Bieber’s Sorry, and Shay Latukolan’s Back on 74 for Jungle. It’s efficacy was only intensified seeing it live on stage with full production to support it, highlighting the importance of movement and the unmistakeable value of creative vision and collaboration.
Although they worked fluidly as a group, the six dancers were also given plenty of opportunities to highlight their individual talents and personalities with features, solo’s and shining moments. Sivan fit seamlessly into the fabric of high energy, sultry dance combinations, but also held the audience in the palm of his hand when he was alone with the mic. Even in moments when he was still, the production continued the movement; the lights and visuals pulsing with the rhythm and his sheer shirt sweeping in the wind.
It also wasn’t just the artist and dancers who followed a routine, the cameras served as a sort of live director showing the audience where to go and carrying the story so we were there with them at the right place and the right time. The cinematography complimented the music and assisted in heightening the emotions of the space - cropping in on Sivan’s profile, or his lower stomach, hands, chest etc. to create a sense of intimacy and closeness despite being in a sea of 6,000.
“Sing this verse for Glinda!”
A masterclass in pop, Troye’s setlist takes the audience through a musical journey that is built around his 2023 album Something to Give Each Other, but also highlights a few of his earlier released including an uptempo version of fan favourite single My My My! and some of his biggest collaborations with Pop’s influential heavy hitters Ariana Grande, Tate McRae and Charli XCX.
Each collaboration song performed prompts Sivan to hype the crowd up even more intensely, encouraging them to live their pop star fantasies and act as his duet partner in the absence of the original vocalists. Dance to This, featuring a verse from Grande, was accompanied by animated video components that complimented the songs narrative. Sivan yelled “Sing this verse for Glinda!,” in reference to the stars blockbuster role in Wicked.
Two collaboration tracks with Charli XCX - 1999 and Talk Talk - were strategically placed near the end of the set back-to-back, building the climax to the big finale. Sivan told the crowd he wanted to see the “Opera house go f**ing feral” in honour of our just passed ‘Brat’ Winter, and so it did.
This Australian tour has followed Sivan’s run on the monumental Sweat Tour, and there is a certain level of expectation that is forged as a consumer as you’re gorging all of the footage and overwhelmingly positive and excited commentary on social media. This fierce form of publicity sells tickets of course, as the virtually built in societal ‘FOMO’ culture we have absorbed continues to swell. However, it also inflates the risk of potential disappointment or feelings that it was ‘overhyped’. I can confidently say that there were no such feelings after experiencing Troye Sivan live, and although I’m looking forward to seeing Charli XCX next year at Laneway, Sivan absolutely held his own and triumphed on his biggest Australian solo tour to date.
As with the Sweat tour, the entire performance is sung with an auto-tuned microphone, a vital piece to the Troye Sivan sound. With the exception of a few dance breaks and sharing it with the audience - the microphone was ON, and Sivan’s cool toned vocals seduced the harbour.
“I’ve been touring all around the world, but make no mistake.. this is Australian Music”
Beyond the obvious sexy and delicious energy of the tour, there is a giant beating heart. Woven throughout every aspect of the show - from the music to staging, choreography and costuming - there is a love letter to Australia.
Opening his set with his Grammy nominated Got Me Started, we’re hit with the instantly recognisable sample from Aussie duo Bag Raiders’ hit track, Shooting Stars. As we move through to songs like Rager Teenager! and Bloom, Sivan shares some “maybe TMI” self-history tales about formative experiences on Sydney’s Oxford St.
Stylistically, Sivan is also dripping in Aussie references - at one point emerging in a vintage “Aussie’s do it better” t-shirt, and later along with his dancers in green fisherman hats with fly corks - boot scooting in a way that would make Russell Coight beam with pride.
The musician had multiple quick changes throughout the show. The short intervals onstage were filled by musical interludes, dance breaks, lighting effects and amorous video footage including of Sivan in Drag, referencing the famous look from the One Of Your Girls video clip.
The outfits themselves ranged from his essential low rise pant and white singlet combo, to corsets, and a flowing white two piece set. His closing look of a white, hooded, deep cut singlet nods to Kylie Minogue’s iconic Can’t Get You Out of My Head video clip look - an homage to another phenomenal Queer icon.
“Are there any gay people here?”
You can’t speak about Troye Sivan or about this magnificent show without highlighting the pure, unadulterated Queer joy that it manifested. On August 7th 2013, Sivan shared a video on his YouTube channel to his followers titled ‘Coming Out.’ Now with over 9.2 million views, this would be the first time he addressed his sexuality publicly. Eleven years later together in Sydney, his queerness was triumphantly celebrated by a crowd of LGBQTIA+ community and allies.
The show was cheeky - it had plenty of sexual innuendo, sensual movements and even an on stage kiss that had the crowd erupting in cheers.
Overall, the Something To Give Each Other Tour is truly a spectacle. Even without SFX or fireworks, Sivan’s performance and the dancers were explosive enough. The crowd wanted to be there, they wanted to be involved and they wanted to support the homegrown superstar. You could tell this energy reached him on stage as he expressed multiple times how welcome he felt, and how exciting and crazy these performances were for him.
Throughout his music career, Sivan has been so unapologetically himself, and this tour was truly something to be praised for. Give the guy his roses!
Sivan will perform the final show of his Australian tour at the Sydney Opera House tonight.
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