REVIEW: Troye Sivan @ Boch Center 10/12

By Caroline Barry

With his new album Bloom, Australian actor-Youtuber-musician Troye Sivan regains his power in the pop scene, both in the studio and on stage.

On Friday, Oct. 12, I had the glorious opportunity to catch his show at the ornate Boch Center. The Bloom Tour is Sivan’s fourth tour (the third of which I’ve attended). His seemingly endless setlist featured every song off his new album, and a healthy amount of his old hits and singles too. His audience ranged from kids under 10 to young adults reaching their 30s; but regardless of age, the venue held an undeniable, communal sensation of pure joy.

Siva was preceded by two energizing openers: the first was Leland, an American musician who recently composed the score for Netflix film “Sierra Burgess is a Loser,” is a personal friend of Sivan and has produced several of his biggest hits. Next was Kim Petras, a German born-pop powerhouse singer. On Oct. 1, Petras released a “spooky EP” titled TURN OFF THE LIGHT, VOL.1 that comprised more than half of her set.

After great anticipation from the crowd, Sivan burst onto the stage in a baggy red suit with his new signature bleach-blonde curls. He opened with new song “Seventeen,” dancing in his awkward lankiness. He dashed around the stage, ignited by the lights and supporting musicians behind him.

Of course, he played some of the big hits from his first album, Blue Neighborhood. As soon as the audience heard the first few notes of “Heaven,” a song that highlights his fears and self-acceptance as a gay man, something magical happened: the audience held up paper flowers to their cell phone lights, creating a rainbow effect around the whole stage from Sivan’s perspective. Similar acts have been conducted at shows around the country during all of his tours. These projects are planned by fans, and during the latter half of the concert, Sivan pulled that group up on stage to give them a personal “thank you” and hugs.

Besides the flower project, many audience members came to the show donning symbolic flower crowns and rainbow attire, even flags. Sivan’s music frequently features themes of queer romance, and his newest album is no exception. Bloom is saturated with first-times recounted, lost loves regretted, and lust vocalized. He even took a few minutes to sit down and explain what ballad “The Good Side” is really about: his guilt over being able to escape the emotions of a breakup through writing and performing his music, while the other party [assumedly fellow YouTube personality Connor Franta] was left with nothing.

However, he wasn’t the only star of his show; two of Sivan’s supporting musicians filled in for the female artists Sivan has collaborated with, including Betty Who, Alessia Cara, Ariana Grande, and Charlie XCX. Both ladies blew the roof off both musically and vocally.

Sivan has an endlessly electric energy that I’ve seen in each of his performances; whether it’s a sweaty, five-hundred-capacity venue or a massive music hall, he always connects with his audience. He got the whole crowd unashamedly dancing to his final song of the evening, “My My My!” The bottom line: Troye Sivan always delivers.