It was a near-perfect Monday evening that heralded the return of a sorely missed Kiwi summer.
And what better way to welcome in the longer, warmer days and the extended, sun-kissed evenings than with an electric performance from one of Australia’s greatest pop culture exports, Troye Sivan?
Almost synonymous with singlets and summer, Sivan has been globetrotting across Europe and to the US this year, where he joined Charli XCX for their sold-out Sweat tour.
The South Africa-born, Perth-raised 29-year-old took to the stage of Spark Arena last night to perform a one-off concert for his Kiwi fans. The crowd was a diverse yet youthful bunch, with groups of friends, couples and singles alike filling the venue’s floor and stands.
The show started with fellow Aussie Nick Ward, who joined the Fools singer on the tour Down Under as the opening act.
Ward, a 23-year-old Sydney native, is celebrating his own triumphs with the recent release of his debut album, House With The Blue Door.
Troye Sivan was joined onstage with an entourage of six dancers. Photo / Tom Grut
The Australian teen, who shares many uncanny similarities to the headliner, warmed up the crowd with his bedroom pop melodies, playing hit songs such as All Your Life and Control to get the crowd moving before Sivan’s steamy performance.
Ward left the stage 30 minutes before Sivan was due to appear, although free-flowing tickets that allowed you to sit and stand wherever you please made the wait worth it.
Sivan has been having a watershed moment this year, celebrating the success of his new album Something To Give Each Other. He found fame as a teenager conducting bedroom performances on YouTube and pursuing talent show endeavours, eventually signing with EMI Australia.
And now he’s landed at Spark Arena, one of New Zealand’s biggest venues, which has hosted artists from Fred again.. to Crowded House and Twenty One Pilots this year alone.
Opening with the fast-paced Got Me Started - which samples Bag Raiders’ 2009 tune Shooting Stars - Sivan immediately embraced his unapologetic queerness, working the crowd with teasy statements and suggestive moves alongside six dancers choreographed by none other than Sergio Reis.
The dancers flanking Sivan were brazen in their erotic movements - at one point filing a line as Sivan sank to the ground and belted into a microphone held out to him; a scene that left jaws dropped throughout the arena.
Troye Sivan included some risqué moves within each performance. Photo / Tom Grut
The star left no time to waste as he moved straight into What’s The Time Where You Are?, which abruptly ended at the song’s peak - leaving fizzing fans standing around in shock.
But after a quick outfit change, Sivan returned to the stage, going back in time to his 2018 single My My My! before bringing out a double bed for a more sensual performance of Messy.
“You’re the sexiest crowd I’ve had,” Sivan told his Kiwi audience, triggering huge cheers in return.
Sivan reached back into his acclaimed discography for a string of older hits, including Dance To This (featuring Ariana Grande) and Strawberries & Cigarettes, which featured on the Love, Simon soundtrack.
Harking even further back to the days of Blue Neighbourhood, which the singer released in 2015, Sivan played longtime favourite Ease to great fanfare before running off the stage once more.
With the lights dimming, and Sivan projected onto the main screen in heels and with long hair, the crowd knew it was time for One Of Your Girls, a song that details the pop singer’s conflicting romantic experiences with men who consider themselves straight.
A member of Sivan’s entourage pulled a chair to the middle of the stage, and the singer performed his signature lap dance.
“I’m so f******* obsessed with you... get ready to turn the f*** up!” Sivan exclaimed.
We were next blessed with Silly from the new record, albeit played in hyperpop version, and with You, a single created alongside Tate McRae.
Sivan and Charli XCX’s 2018 song 1999 has had a renaissance in the era of TikTok soundbites and fast tempos, and many phones emerged from pockets to capture the Aussie singer and his energetic performance of it.
Sivan knew how to work the Kiwi crowd, many of whom are longstanding fans. Photo / Tom Grut
Charli XCX’s Talk Talk remix also had its moment, and the artist left the stage with deafening screams. “Make some noise for your f****** selves!” Sivan yelled out.
With fans fervently waiting for an encore, Sivan returned sporting crotchless chaps and a cowboy hat for his final performance.
The singer was beaming as he effortlessly sang along to Honey with his entourage, highlighting the star’s fitness and stamina over one hour into the show.
Yet it was truly one of those concerts where Sivan saved the best for last.
Rush, which has been nominated for two Grammy Awards (a first for the singer), is one of Sivan’s greatest hits to date and helped cement the singer back into the zeitgeist when it was released last year.
The song saw Sivan perform an impressive keg stand, recreating scenes of a sweaty college party in the waterfront venue.
But it seemed like as soon as the party was getting started, it drew to a close. Sivan left the stage for the final time and the lights drew on as fans poured out of the arena, with a sea of skin and tight clothes wandering into the night.
For a Monday night, it seemed like everyone was prepped to dance until sunrise, and I don’t blame them. With an official afterparty kicking off at one of Karangahape Rd’s queer institutions, G.A.Y, Sivan planned ahead knowing that the final stop on his tour would be a big one with this crowd of Kiwis.
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based digital producer and editorial assistant for the Herald who covers lifestyle, entertainment, and travel.
