Review: Benson Boone backflips and belts out bops in sold-out St. Pete show

Gen Z’s current obsession, 21-year-old Benson Boone, made his grand entrance in St. Petersburg by scaling down a set of stairs leading to a keyboard. The sold-out, sweaty venue welcomed the heartthrob from Monroe, Washington, with booming claps and an in-unison chant of the singer’s first name.

Boone’s impressive vocal range made him a favorite on “American Idol” in 2021, until Boone gathered his thoughts and decided to quit the show altogether. According to the vocalist with signature curly hair and a parted pencil stache, he left the game show to pursue his authentic dreams of becoming a singer.

Benson refused to let his time on “Idol” taint his reputation. He yearned to become a singer whose fans knew his songs instead of a singer whose fans matched his identity to his spot on TV. Granted, Boone’s most streamed single, “Beautiful Things,” has garnered over 580 million streams on Spotify—the plan worked.

Boone jumped on stage Saturday with five-inch inseam jorts, referencing the cover photo of his debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, matched with a red-cuffed t-shirt, demonstrating his selected wardrobe for an outing prevalent with fireworks and rollerblades, AKA summer holidays.

“Do you believe there is a life where it’s just you and me and I?” Benson swooned toward the amalgam of kids, teary-eyed teenagers, and adults scattered throughout the crowd.

As he played delicate piano ballads, the audience turned on their phone flashlights as Boone paired “Intro” and “Be Someone,” which posed questions all young adults (and most older adults) wonder during their lives: What does it mean to belong? To have an identity in this world?

Boone moved seamlessly through songs, crooned about current and past loves, and worked in upbeat melodies, all with his unwavering energy. He even aerial backflipped onstage.

Backed by a three-piece band, Boone’s stage lighting recreated a firework-laden summer day spent lounging around a watermelon-filled table with the light choices reflecting into the audience. The first few songs relied on blue, pink, red, and purple hues, popular colors used in fireworks. Mixed with Boone’s humble humor, the crowd tended to forget they were standing inside a 2,000-capacity outdoor venue in downtown St. Pete and believed they pulled up a lawn chair in Benson’s backyard for an intimate concert.

“I’ve never worn shorts on stage before. I feel a little naked,” he laughed off, diving into breakup anthems, “There She Goes” and “Drunk in My Mind.” Finishing the tender tunes, Boone spotted a fan holding a large sign stating that her ex cheated on her. The sign asked Boone to help make said ex jealous.

One of the most personal parts of attending a smaller concert venue is the relationship between audience and performer. In a smaller venue, the performer emphasizes their stage presence. Boone learned the girl’s name, Mackenzie, and her ex-boyfriend’s name, Jaden, much to the audience’s delight. Boone jumped off the springboard, dedicating the next number to Mackenzie despite the song having “nothing to do with cheating.”

“Hello Love” traverses the painful territory of understanding the ensuing loss of a lover during a relationship. Knowing that the partnership benefits neither party any longer, yet the connection prevails. Despite mental ruckus, one party longs for the other to stay with them.

Boone knows how to command a crowd, layering his setlist between upbeat pop-rock songs, bleeding into heart-wrenching sob stories. He continued to “Slow it Down,” a beat about trusting someone, giving over love to let them help you not feel alone, and “Friend,” a love letter to his best friend.

Solemn singers release their melancholic discography, typically with the ability to perform these songs in public, leaning into the performance instead of the meaning of the song. Though, on rare occasions, a song pops up that a singer struggles with. Though he didn’t outright cry or demonstrate his despair, the crowd shifted energy a bit during Boone’s performance of “In The Stars.”

He explained writing the song after he lost his great-grandmother a few years ago. When an artist asks the audience to refrain from videoing a song, their affectation fades away, and their humanity seeps through the cracks. Boone’s harrowing song forced the audience to think about those they’ve lost.

“I’m still holding onto everything that’s dead and gone. I don’t wanna say goodbye cause this one means forever. And now you’re in the stars, and six feet never felt so far. Here I am alone between the heavens and the embers,” he chokes out.

The final number in most concerts obeys the charts, meaning the highest charting song gets the final kick drum and snare count off. For Boone’s concert, he followed suit. However, he invited a college senior on stage with him after the student pleaded with him to sing on stage. Cayman, the student, confessed he couldn’t get VIP, so he wanted to make a grand impression.

Cayman leaped on stage, taking a breath, looking out at the beady eyes staring back at him. He asked Boone if he felt nervous each night, what with the thousands of eyes staring back at him. “Yup,” Boone responded, meeting audience laughter.

Boone launched into the painful ballad “Beautiful Things,” a tale centered around taking people for granted, especially in romantic relationships. Boone riled up the crowd with the first crescendoing verse, then grabbed Cayman to scream-sing the infectious chorus.

“These beautiful things that I’ve got. Please stay. I want you, I need you, oh god. Don’t take these beautiful things that I’ve got,” Cayman and Boone belted.

Since Boone’s St. Petersburg tour landed on the first leg of three legs, and he amasses hundreds of new fans at every show, the “Beautiful Things” keep coming for the 21-year-old.

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