Troye Sivan
13th September 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
Singer, songwriter, actor; there seems to be little that the talented Troye Sivan can’t turn his hand to. But for many of his fans who filled Spark Arena last night, it is Sivan’s ability to create an atmosphere of inclusivity and his down to earth yet charismatic honesty that are his biggest drawcards.
Born in South Africa, raised in Perth, the son of a Jewish father, it is understandable that coming out to both his family and society at large would not have been an easy thing to do; Sivan’s 2015 debut album Blue Neighbourhood a moving collection of songs, autobiographical in nature of many of his earliest experiences of finding himself. Troye Sivan may have begun his music career on YouTube, but more importantly he entered the mainstream music industry as an already out person, and by doing so he has united many of his LGBTQI fans as one; a fact that was evident last night as rainbow flags littered the room.
Being the first night of this current leg of his Bloom tour, Sivan’s fans – as per his instructions – dressed accordingly, flower headbands and pastel colours the order of the day, all eyes trained on the heavy velvet curtain hanging across the stage before them. When Sivan appeared, his long slender frame adorned in a simple two-piece casual suit, the applause from the crowd was deafening; his opening track ‘Seventeen’ about discovering queerness in one’s most formative years the perfect opener for the predominantly post-millennial audience hanging on his every word.
Within moments the curtain dropped, revealing a two tier stage and Sivan’s full band, a dazzling and deftly curated light show making the most of the simple but effective layout; Sivan hitting the audience with a double header of ‘Bloom’ and ‘Plum’ before introducing ‘Heaven’ from his first album, explaining in his openly honest and slightly self-conscious way of how he wrote it about his own coming out experience; the line ‘Without losing a part of me / How do I get to Heaven’ striking at the heart of the quandary that effects many young queer people faced with religious condemnation from not only their own family but society at large.
Having ditched the peroxide blonde look, returning to his natural soft hazel curls, Sivan cut a fine figure as he slinked across the stage, his silken vocals remaining on point throughout the night. Joking that he had no idea why he was using the evening as a bit of a therapy session as he spoke of feeling a little out of sorts due to the fact that it was his first full live show in quite a while, his fans cheered him on, his rapport with them something they craved as much as his music.
While tracks such as ‘I’m So Tired’ had the entire arena dancing, it was his melancholic duets with the lovely Kaela Sinclair on songs such as ‘Postcard’ performed on a couch surrounded by a selection of vintage lounge lamps that won his fans hearts; Sivan going on to speak candidly of a recent relationship breakup and how the song ‘The Good Side’ was his way of processing it. His invitation for his followers to make the song their own, and to give someone they know a consensual pat of support on the back within this openly safe space, once again reaffirming the atmosphere of inclusivity.
Ramping up the drama, Sivan – who had changed into a crop top and leather pants – was soon strutting across the stage for ‘Bite’, his seductive drops driving the audience wild and keeping the party vibes on high throughout the catchy Charli XCX latest ‘1999’. Inviting the audience to move with him while he performed ‘Dance to This’, the very room shook with sheer joy.
Throwing down some real talk Sivan affectionately thanked all, before asking them to play the encore game with him so that he could have a few moments to get changed into his surprise ensemble, his amusement at the front row calling him ‘iconic’ in a New Zealand accent (that he at first struggled to comprehend) palpable.
Chants of ‘We Want Troye’ accompanied by stomping feet quickly rocked the arena, Sivan soon returning in a hot pink tinsel pant suit with patent black leather boots that was effervescent underneath the kaleidoscope of stage lights. Throwing armfuls of flowers into the audience, Sivan brought the show to a close on the back of both ‘Youth’ and the synth drenched ‘My My My!’, rainbow coloured confetti raining down on an audience openly celebrating being exactly who they wanted to be.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this uplifting electro-pop gig? Or have you seen Troye Sivan perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Seventeen
- Bloom
- Plum
- Heaven
- Fools
- Lucky Strike
- Wild
- I’m So Tired
- Postcard
- The Good Side
- What A Heavenly Way To Die
- Bite
- 1999
- Dance To This
- Animal
- Youth [encore]
- My My My! [encore]
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