From “Brat Summer” to “That’s That Me Espresso” and “Birds of a Feather,” popular summer 2024 pop artists are kicking off their concert tours for fans to enjoy in the upcoming months.
Concerts have been booming in popularity for the last few years, with especially younger generations being intrigued by the trends of seeing artists live, causing famous artists to have concert tickets sell out in the blink of an eye.
“I like how it’s different, how interesting it is to watch musicians play their music live, and I like crowds and getting to see everyone else who also likes the music participating in the culture of that community,” said August Steunenberg, a Carlmont senior who has been to four concerts in the past year.
Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Charli XCX with Troye Sivan have started touring around the country after the release of all of their successful albums that took over last summer. Each tour is unique in its way, perfectly capturing the vibe of each artist and keeping it entertaining for devoted fan bases.
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet Tour”
The “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” singer announced her “Short n’ Sweet Tour” on June 20, with tickets quickly selling out within minutes after they came for sale, despite them being surprisingly expensive for fans. Her tour started in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 23 and will continue for the next couple of months. Carpenter’s tour gives viewers a retro romantic vibe, mixed with her sparkly outfits and bubbly personality. She sings 21 songs, 12 being from her #1 Billboard charted album “Short N’ Sweet” and eight being from across the rest of her discography.
“I love her music, and I think she’s just one of the more entertaining artists because she’s funny and has good visual effects,” said Penelope Townsend, a Carlmont sophomore and enthusiastic fan who will be attending Carpenter’s show in San Francisco.
Carpenter also keeps fans engaged by changing her outfits every night, with different variants of colored bodysuits at the beginning of her setlist. She also plays the game “Spin the Bottle,” which determines a song Carpenter will cover each night. So far, she has notably covered songs like Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me,” Madonna’s “Material Girl,” and ABBA’s “Mamma Mia.”
Sabrina Carpenter travels on tour to North America and Europe, with more dates possibly being announced soon. Her last show ends in Milan on March 26, 2025.
Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour”
With the release of Eilish’s third studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” the singer known for her genius lyrics and overall authenticity and transparency, began her tour on Sept. 29 in Quebec City, Canada. Eilish performs many songs from all three of her albums and even includes snippets of songs from her Extended Play, “Don’t Smile at Me.” She captivates her audience with not only her singing but also the many visual effects that come with it. She has lots of strobe lighting and projections that revolve around the central color blue, the name of one of the songs on her new album.
Amani Shroff, a Carlmont junior attending Eilish’s tour, speaks about how excited she is to watch the whole experience of her tour.
“I just think her music’s just so amazing, but also her show is really theatrical with lights and lasers and just the entire production of it. I think the whole experience is just gonna be amazing, so I’m really excited for that,” Shroff said.
Eilish’s gut-wrenching songs, paired with her stunning effects to go with the aesthetic of the “Hit Me Hard and Soft” album, create an impressive show for her fans to enjoy.
Eilish is known for her popular singles and the impactful messages she and her brother, FINNEAS, write about in her songs. She mentions topics relating not only to heartbreak but also to mental health, equality, and political themes underlying her lyrics that make a big impact on listeners. Her show offers all of her messages live, which causes fans to be in tune with her opinions as an artist.
Nidhi Parvathaneni, a Carlmont junior who has been a Billie Eilish fan for four years and is attending the concert with Shroff, is impressed with Eilish’s impact with her lyricism.
“I really like Billie’s songs not only because of her music, but her messages too,” Parvathaneni said. “She has so many songs that talk about empowering women, and songs even addressing things like abuse that people really need to hear. I think that coming from a celebrity as famous as her, it’s really impactful.”
“Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” is currently going on, with her hitting continents like North America, Australia, and Europe. Her last show will be in Dublin, Ireland, on July 27, 2025.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s “Sweat Tour”
After the movement of “Brat Summer” that took over social media by storm, the “Brat” singer Charli XCX and famous pop artist Troye Sivan have joined together to perform their “Sweat Tour.” The tour started on Sept. 14 in Detroit, Michigan, and will be traveling to most of the United States and Canada.
The two artists sing classic songs from both of their new albums, like Charli XCX’s “Apple” and “360,” as well as Sivan’s “One of Your Girls,” to create a total of a 31 song setlist that captivates the fans of the two pop artists. Their concert gives off a rave vibe, with loud music and smoke machines to set the tone of partying in a concert.
“I think it’s interesting how fast she (Charli XCX) was able to start a trend. It seemed like “Brat Summer” happened overnight, which I thought was actually really cool,” Steunenberg said, a casual Charli XCX fan.
The concert also features a cage-like structure in the middle of the stage to add a difference in design. Furthermore, both artists wear a lot of 2000s-inspired attire like tank tops, skirts, and fashionable sunglasses to have fans fully immersed in the “Brat” culture. The concert overall has lots of energy, pop, and techno aspects, and it always keeps fans dancing non-stop.
The “Sweat Tour” will only be on for a little while, ending in Seattle, Washington on Oct. 23, 2024.
