Benson Boone flipped into Phoenix hearts with the ‘Wanted Man’ tour

At Mortgage Matchup Center on Monday night, the house music teased fans. One song abruptly cut off, leading fans to scream in anticipation of headliner Benson Boone’s appearance. Then another song started up. The volume started to climb and people started looking around the crowd. Maybe the 24-year-old pop star would enter from somewhere in the pit. 

Eventually, the arena went dark. A “Star Wars”-style introduction began scrolling on the screen.

“Long ago there lived a boy and a girl / they had a love / a love that ruled the world / and from afar everything was grand / until the night of the wanted man,” the yellow letters read. 

Orange spotlights beamed up to the ceiling and in the middle of the stage, Benson Boone appeared, crouched in a Spider-Man pose, on a riser elevating him to the top.

Standing, he launched straight into a mega hit.

“I’m sorry I’m here for someone else /  it’s good to see your face / and I really hope you’re doing well / I hope you’re doing wellllll.”

Cue the first back flip of the night. The crowd goes wild. Women scream. High school girls cry. Everyone sings along. Boone, in black jeans, black Adidas sneakers, a black vest and no shirt with shined-up abs on full display, has arrived.

Monday night’s show was part of the pop phenom’s “Wanted Man” tour, a second tour in support of his 2025 album, “American Heart.” He brought the album to life in Phoenix at Desert Diamond Arena last September for the “American Heart” tour. But fans were hungry for more. 

On Monday night in downtown Phoenix, the crowd was ravenous.

The basketball arena’s wooden court had been swapped out for a large, figure-eight-shaped stage with multiple levels, steps, a large ramp and runway edged with lights. Throughout the night, Boone would make use of the entire thing, strutting, running, dancing and, of course, flipping his way through the show.

Multiple times throughout the night, the singer professed his love for performing. And that passion was evident. It was also evident that this frontman knows exactly how to tap into the hearts and minds of his fans. With perfect abs, excellent vocals and even a shoutout to his grandma that left everyone swooning, it’s clear Boone has solidified his status as both a star and a heartthrob. 

Benson Boone brought the house down

Boone’s show kicked off with his biggest hits. After his entrance, he transitioned into “Mr. Electric Blue,” and everyone in their blue sequined outfits shimmied along. As he sang the tour’s titular “Wanted Man,” the center of the stage rose out of the ground, releasing a cloud of smoke and giving a peek at what the convertible stage could do. Naturally, at the end of the song, Boone exited the risen platform by doing a backflip off the edge. 

During “Drunk in my Mind,” he once again jumped off the stage, this time into the front row of the pit, mingling with fans who were reaching out, screaming, crying. 

For “Slow It Down,” he returned to the top of the stage, now outfitted with a silver, sparkling grand piano, where he sat and played the first half of the song. But it seems Boone’s energy can’t be contained. By halfway through the ballad, he was standing on top of the sparkling piano, which he then jumped off in another backflip.

As he ran down the stage, somewhere along the way he acquired a Spider-Man mask from a fan, which he then wore on his face. After a little teasing, he launched into “Mystical Magical,” and the crowd sang the words so loudly, the singer paused to take it all in. 

Little girls bopped along to “moonbeam, ice cream.” Their moms blushed over “taking off your blue jeans…” and everyone had a grand old time. 

After the lyrical “Pretty Slowly” finished with a call-and-response sing-along, Boone disappeared for what everyone assumed would be an outfit change.

And then the massive screen behind the stage split in two. As it slowly parted, a small, glowing, gondola of sorts appeared like a star over the crowd. Inside the star, flying over the arena, was Boone. 

As he sailed around the room, high above the crowd, he sang “In the Stars.” The meaning of the beautiful, heartfelt song was somewhat lost because of the distraction of the flying pop star. But it was cool enough we didn’t care. Boone was literally in a star.

Next, he rolled through “My Greatest Fear,” “Take Me Home,” and the album’s title track, “Young American Heart,” which ended with a cascade of red, white and blue heart-shaped confetti raining over the crowd.

As fans focused on catching their own confetti souvenir, the stage crew rushed to set up a piano and set for the band at the end of the stage. 

Boone reappeared in a new outfit of a white tank top, the same jeans in a lighter wash and the same Adidas sneakers in a lighter color. Hey, if it ain’t broke.

Next, Boone performed a new song, a ballad about going back in time to warn a love that he would eventually break her heart. While no one could yet sing along, the crowd was hooked.

And then Boone really turned on the charm. 

“Do we have any moms in the crowd here tonight?” he asked. Scream says yes. “Hellooo ladies,” Boone crooned. 

He shouted out the dads too, and then gave a sappy speech about how much he loves his wonderful parents, and how moms are some of the most important people around. If every woman in the crowd wasn’t already head over heels, they were now.

He sang “Momma Song” to a video of snippets of his parents’ wedding day, his childhood, his dad doing a backflip (inspiration, perhaps?) and baby photos. There was barely a dry eye around.

Then he took it even one step further. He asked the crowd for a favor. His grandma was in the crowd, and it was her birthday. Would we all join him to please sing her happy birthday? 

A few rows in front of us, family members used their phones to shine a light on Boone’s grandma, whom he spotted from the stage and blew kisses. This guy knows what he’s doing. 

He slowed things down with “Before You” and “The Time of My Life.” A quartet of songs finished the set with “I wanna be the one you call,” “What was,” “Cry,” and the grand finale, “Beautiful things.”

The star gondola, which was still hanging from the ceiling above the end of the stage, rained down sparks. 

As the show’s last song boomed along with fireworks, pyrotechnics and strobes, Boone once again acquired and wore a Spider-Man mask, pulled a few Spidey moves and dove off the stage. 

He made a lap, visiting fans in the front row to sign t-shirts and posters, to accept bouquets of flowers and gifts, and to reach out to girls who will probably vow to never wash that hand. He worked the crowd like a pro, and they adored him for it. 

There was no encore. But by that point, with songs ringing in their ears, stars in their eyes and scoops of confetti in their pockets, fans were satisfied. Boone had put on a show in every sense and left his fans more in love than ever before.