Welcome to the Blue Neighbourhood – Guest Review by Kaiti Fleeger

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Welcome to the Blue Neighbourhood

March 04, 2016

The Fillmore Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

There’s something special about standing in a room with nearly 3,000 other people, who come from all different walks of life, and shouting the lyrics of your favorite songs back at the guy on stage.  Don’t let him fool you – he may look small but Troye Sivan [Troy Sea-vaughn) holds his own when it comes to singing and performing.  Last Friday, the young South African played a sold-out show to the largest crowd he’s seen so far, while battling a nasty case of sinusitis, and it was nothing short of incredible.

Around 9PM, the opening act was making their way off the stage as a certain buzz filled the air and everyone tried to find their spot in the crowd for the night.  Toes were being stepped on and it seemed like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room for us all to share.  The shorter people in the crowd couldn’t see a thing.  The lights went down and there was a shift as every negative feeling fell away.  “Kiss me on the mouth and set me free, sing me like a choir…”  It was pitch black.  Complete darkness as Troye’s voice echoed off the walls.  The beat dropped – signaled by him yelling “GO” – throwing the entire room in-sync.  The opening song, “BITE,” was a whirlwind of a performance that proved perfect for getting everyone ready for the rest of the setlist.

Troye Sivan

Since coming out as gay on his YouTube channel two years ago, Troye Sivan has become a significant LGBTQ+ icon for the younger generation.  The fourth song of his set is “HEAVEN.”  His silhouette is behind a Pride flag as the fears of fifteen year old Troye flow from his lips.  Can he get married?  Can he have kids?  Will he be allowed into heaven?  There’s a break in his worries as he dances around the stage, the flag in his hands.  He returns to his mic and proceeds with the song, still expressing his fears but realizing – and teaching us all – that if you have to change yourself to get something or somewhere, maybe it’s not that important after all.  There’s a moment he shares with the crowd, “Counting to fifteen, counting to fifteen, counting to fifteen…”  The whole room takes a deep breath and it’s like the stranger next to you is your best friend.

Between songs, Troye rambled on about his travel to Pennsylvania and stopped mid-sentence to grab a few gifts from the crowd.  He’s easily the most-distracted musician I’ve ever seen and he makes jokes about it as he prepares for the next song, “WILD.”  It’s a high-energy single off his debut album that allows for a very easy back-and-forth with even the newest fans.  There’s a red glow to the room and Troye runs around stage, dancing in a way that can only be described as “feeling it.”  He’s completely lost in the music and his body just moves along with it.  It’s obvious he loves performing and once the song is over, he admits the reason for his constant stopping to tell stories and grabbing things from fans; he’s not ready for the night to end.  Truthfully, nobody is ready to leave.

Troye Sivan

The end of a show usually brings one of my favorite parts – the crowd taking over.  “TALK ME DOWN” is the song that is sung by the crowd more than Troye.  Every phone light in the room is on and swaying – no need for stage lighting.  The sound of each person singing nearly drowns out Troye and he steps back, letting the crowd do all the work while he listens to his own lyrics being shouted back at him by 3,000 of his fans.  The smile and pride on his face was priceless.  A warm, fuzzy sadness is filling everyone’s mind as the thank yous and goodbyes roll off his tongue.  The music grows quiet and the screaming grow louder as Troye Sivan leaves the stage.

Troye Sivan

It doesn’t even take ten seconds for the screams to turn into chants of “Troye, Troye, Troye, Troye!”  Then for them to erupt into screams again as Troye returns to the stage for an encore.  He begins with “LOST BOY,” a song he’s described as the one he’s most proud of but the lyrics are all too real.  The little house set-up behind him lights up purple as the piano echoes through the room and the crowd sings along louder than they have all night.  Finishing up the show is a joint effort.  The music transitions into “YOUTH,” his most recent single and a total crowd-pleaser.  There’s a brief moment of seeing which section of the crowd can scream “my youth” the loudest and it all ends with exclamations of living in the moment and not worrying about tomorrow.

Troye Sivan

 

All text and photos courtesy of Kaiti Fleeger 2016.

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