It came as no surprise when Benson Boone’s Denver stop on his PULSE tour was quickly upgraded from the smaller Marquis Theater to the much larger Summit. The twenty-year-old artist, who has been blowing up over the past couple of years, effortlessly sold-out the 1,100 capacity venue, with fans lining up hours before doors even opened. In fact, so many fans arrived early that the line to get into the venue nearly wrapped all the way around the block. It was clear that Benson Boone has amassed a devoted and passionate fanbase, and his live performance only proved why.
Opening the night was rising alt-pop artist, Nicky Youre, who kicked the night off on an energetic note, playing a healthy mix of old songs, new hits like the catchy as hell “Good Times Go” and even hyping the crowd up with covers of Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” and COIN’s “Talk Too Much”. Throughout his set, Nicky Youre bounced around the stage, encouraging fans to dance and sing along to the songs they knew, even getting up close and personal with the crowd a few times.
Then, it was the moment everyone was waiting for; the lights dimmed, the SpongeBob theme song began to play, and Benson Boone quite literally backflipped his way onto the stage. Despite a very brief sound issue and setback just as he was about to start his set, the show went off without a hitch, and within seconds, fans throughout the crowd were holding up handmade signs, plushies, gifts and notes on their phones for the singer to see. Throughout the night, he interacted with these fans, too, reading some of the signs out loud, laughing at a few of them, and even accepting a marriage proposal (and a ring-pop) from another. The balance that he found between engaging with excited fans in the front row while also delivering a memorable and accessible experience for everyone in the crowd (even those who didn’t camp out or hand-make signs) was not only thoughtful, but it felt incredibly genuine.
Throughout the night, Benson Boone also slowed things down a bit, taking the time to address subjects like mental health as well as the personal lyrical content of his hit song, “In The Stars,” which is about is late grandmother. The crowd was nothing but respectful during these moments, as all side conversations immediately ceased and everyone went silent. In fact, it was possibly the quietest I’ve ever heard a crowd become at Summit. Fans hung on his every word, honored his wishes to remain respectful during the more emotional moments of the night, sang happy birthday to his sister when asked, and even at one point became a stunning backing choir when he began to play the final notes of “In The Stars” on the keyboard.
For many of the young fans in the crowd, Benson Boone’s performance was one of, if not their very first concert experiences, and it couldn’t have been a better show to introduce them to the world of live music. In fact, some older concert-goers could probably learn a thing or two from the devoted, respectful and excited fans in the crowd. From beginning to end, the show was incredible, and when, about thirty minutes after it ended, I noticed that Benson Boone was outside, gladly meeting and taking photos with any fans who approached him near his bus, it once again came as absolutely no surprise.