Just hours before headlining a sold-out show at the Allstate Arena Monday night, Charli xcx posted a now-viral video on TikTok, sharing how she’s grappling with the idea that all good things — even her global Brat movement — must come to an end.
“It’s really hard to let go … of this thing that is so inherently me and become my entire life,” she posted in a raw, soul-baring video that arrives just as the North American dates of her Brat Arena Tour wrap up May 4.
@charlixcx i’m not readyyyyyyyyyy!
On-stage graphics also echoed these sentiments. As Charli finished her explosive 90-minute set in Rosemont (one that took turns from a heart-thumping rave on a remix of “365” to a hug-your-neighbor moment on soft ballad “I Might Say Something Stupid”), conversational messages splayed out on video screens: “Does this mean that Brat Summer is officially over??? Idk??? Maybe??”
For anyone concerned, Brat Summer is here to stay. Because the thing is, it’s not just a season; it’s a whole attitude shift where confidence, independence and an unapologetic love of self are the cornerstone. Throngs of people, especially Gen Z, have been rightfully lapping it up.
By the end of last year, “Brat” was hailed as one of the best albums of 2024, and Charli — a 15-year music veteran — finally nabbed her first three Grammys in February for best dance/electronic album, best recording package and best dance pop recording. So, can you blame her for not wanting to bid adieu to the moment?
Inside Allstate Arena, the Brat Pack proved this phenomenon is going nowhere. The neon-green jungle took over the place, just like Charli, wearing their best sunglasses at night.
Near the North Gate, Chicago native Josh Wold, who just turned 34, was brandishing signs that read “It’s my Bratday” while chatting up security to give him access to the arena floor. There was also Andrea Mannarino from Lake Bluff, who flew in her dad, Andrew, from New Jersey to see the spectacle; the duo wore T-shirts identifying them as “Brat Dad” and “Brat Daughter.”
Charli’s Allstate Arena appearance came just a week after the avant pop star’s acclaimed back-to-back weekends at Coachella in what The Hollywood Reporter called the most-attended performances of the event. At an after party, Charli cheekily wore a “Miss Should Be Headliner” sash, poking into the fact that she didn’t get prime billing, and perhaps even visual boarding it for the future.
Many critics have made a point to call out the minimalistic nature of her latest set design as if it is some kind of shortcoming. Charli is boldly unaccompanied on this jaunt (lest you count the videographer who follows her around for close-ups) with little ornamentation besides four costume changes, a few rotating backdrops and a dizzying amount of strobe lights and fog machines.
But the artist dominated every inch of the stage, repeatedly strutting her way down an extended catwalk, unleashing mid-song dance breakdowns, going underneath the elevated platform and banging on the fencing separating her from fans like an animal in a cage. It was simple yet effective, and what’s more “Brat” than a woman standing solo dominating her own space?
Like Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, “no frills” has become more daring than a million-dollar production, and it taps into how this newer crop of artists is swinging the pendulum on what pop can be.
During the set, Charli dug deep into her feelings on the relationship blunder “Talk Talk,” sharing the not-so-secret revelation that it’s about her fiancé, George Daniel (of the 1975). In “So I,” she was unabashedly singing “I know I can cry.” In one of the biggest set highlights, “Girl, So Confusing,” she explored a feeling every woman has probably experienced about female friendships and competition. The set-ending “I Love It” (the Icona Pop song Charli wrote and is also featured on) brought back the party vibes she’s known for.
“Chicago I gotta tell you this show is f——- crazy. I was in Minneapolis a couple days ago and was like, damn this is going to be the best show on this tour! But then you guys came along,” Charli shared, before one final message appeared on the video screens: “Honestly I just want this moment to last forever. Please don’t let it be over.”