Music, Fashion, Film on 9/28 in Washington, DC was a satiating, uniquely Charli xcx-perience.
The show opens with several tracks from the tour album, her accompanying rock band rising up through the stage floor, Charli standing at the microphone stand. Beginning with a traditional rock concert stage arrangement honored the rock’n’roll aesthetic of “Music, Fashion, Film.”
Two giant screens on each side of the three-tiered stage arrangement created a dynamic space for the performance. The band was situated on the first tier, while the dancers transitioned between the layers of the stage. On the top tier stood an enormous, larger-than-life amplifier as the backdrop.
An effective, unique aspect of the show was the up-close filming of Charli, her band, and her dancers, which was displayed live on the arena’s huge screens. This live feed combined b&w filters and cinematic filming, pulling the audience into the action. This feature established a sense of watching a concert, a fashion show, a movie, and a music video all at the same time—perfectly enhancing the “Music, Fashion, Film” styling.
By the sixth track, the stage gets more exciting. Around 15-20 backup dancers join her for “Card Declined,” creating a female-owned stage. The dancers adapted across the show; from performing as runway models in “Guess,” to a dance crew for “pink diamond,” to film extras in “2007.”
Viral TikTok track “House (featuring John Cale)” led to a favorite shock moment of the show. Charli crawled out onto the stage as a spotlight gradually tracked down from the ceiling toward her, while John Cale’s monologue boomed through the speakers. Hearing this track live induced a mixture of horror and thrill, ending with indoor fireworks.
Despite touring with her new album, Charli still offered her fans the greatly missed Brat Summer experience, with tracks “Apple,” “Girl, so confusing,” “Von dutch,” “365,” “360,” “Sympathy is a knife,” and “Club classics.” This section of the show transported the audience back to the familiar club-Charli; with strobe lighting and auto-tune additions to the sound. The Capital One Arena setting augmented this experience, as if all 12,000 audience members were in a giant nightclub.
The setlist cleverly wove together the different eras of Charli’s discography, returning to her new music at the end. Retro elements brought “2007”—the fifth track on “Music, Fashion, Film”—to life; the band and dancers united to construct a nostalgic 2000s party scene, complete with red solo cups and cigarettes.
The only time Charli used the top tier of staging was for her much-adored track, “party 4 u.” The arena was soaked in bright blue light as she stood in front of the enormous amplifier backdrop, with dry ice pouring out. The stage was empty, and the entire audience was singing along.
The show closed with “No One Lasts Forever featuring David Cronenberg.” All of the dancers and band members sat at the edge of the first tier with Charli, frozen in place as if they were a photo, and the words “OBLIVION IS FREEDOM” were displayed on the screens above. The frozen stage paired with the eerie words of David Cronenberg formed an intense ending to a night of controlled chaos, enrapturing the entire arena.
“Music, Fashion, Film” was not just played for the audience; it was brought to life. The live-feed, the dance troupe, the nostalgic props, the pyrotechnics—countless elements materialized her new album in the arena. Charli’s live performance brought new perspective to some of her lyrics:
“Makes me question what I’m doing // Do I wanna make music? // … All I know is how it makes me feel.”
—“Camera,” Charli xcx
Charli brought a rock concert, a dance troupe, a fashion show, a 2000s party, and a film crew to Capital One Arena, animatedly setting the scene for her next chapter. DC also heard her exclusive B-Side track, “If You Take Away The Music Then What Has She Got?” In a way, this show was an answer to that question.