On August 16, Mr. Electric Blue himself, Benson Boone, brought his “Wanted Man” tour to Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ, his second stop in the Valley in just under a year. The titles of both “Mr. Electric Blue” and “Wanted Man” proved true in Arizona, as his Phoenix date was the fastest to sell out on the entire tour and his performance was nothing short of electric. From the backflips to the fireworks to the pyro blasts, Boone proved to be a true showman, wowing the crowd from start to finish. Joining Boone on this leg of the tour is indie-pop singer-songwriter Luna Li.
Kicking off the night was Luna Li in her first ever arena performance. Joined by a band, the singer-songwriter impressed the crowd with her multi-instrumental talent and dreamy vocals. Despite some technical issues to start the show, Li carried on like a pro, trading out instruments as she took fans through her discography. She treated the crowd to a special rendition of Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” which featured Li on the harp. She shared that her pandemic hobby was learning new instruments, and throughout the show, the audience witnessed not only her ability to shred the guitar and wow on the harp, but also her skills with the flute and violin. There is no doubt she won over more than a few fans in her debut on the large stage.
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As the countdown to the main event began, “Bohemian Rhapsody” rang through the speakers — a fitting track for an artist regularly compared to Freddy Mercury. The crowd sang along passionately as they waited for Benson Boone to take the stage. As the song fizzled out, the arena lights dimmed as “The Wanted Man Tour” flashed across the screen, accompanied by narrated Star Wars-esque text. As the lights came back up, the stage was engulfed in fog as Benson Boone appeared in a crouched position, donning a flashy open vest and a pair of sunglasses which fell from his face as he sprung from the crouched position into a full backflip. Boone strutted down the long catwalk as he kicked off his set with “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else.” As he arrived at the end of the catwalk, a B-stage adorned with his initials, Boone interacted with fans in the crowd, giving special recognition to a pair of fans in Spider-Man masks, shooting imaginary webs their way. The Spider-Man references would continue all night as he would flip from various surfaces, often landing in the superhero’s iconic pose, sling webs, and even appear in a Spider-Man mask himself on more than one occasion.
Boone traversed back and forth between the A and B stages, taking moments to make all the fans feel special as he made his way through the setlist with tracks like “Mr. Electric Blue,” “Wanted Man,” and “Slow It Down.” He did his best to ensure he played to all parts of the crowd throughout the night, making sure he didn’t leave anyone out. Boone playfully joked with the audience that he would not be playing “Mystical Magic” that evening, inciting a full crowd a cappella singalong, with “moonbeam ice cream” echoing throughout the venue. Boone bowed to the crowd, noting he was “unfamiliar with Phoenix’s game” before he admitted to his fib and gave the people what they wanted.
Boone soared across the venue floating on a star for “In the Stars,” descending onto the B-stage for “My Greatest Fear.” A thunderous confetti explosion blanketed the venue in red, white, and blue hearts to end “Young American Heart” before Boone took a brief moment for an outfit change, returning to join his band on the B-stage for a slowed down stretch of songs. Home videos of Boone as an infant with his mother played on the screen as he performed “Momma Song,” a track he dedicated to all of the parents in the crowd. Boone also took a moment to acknowledge his grandmother in the audience who was celebrating her birthday. She stood, rocking an “any single boomers?” t-shirt, as the entire audience seranaded her with “Happy Birthday.” As the band returned to the stage, Boone and his guitarist rounded out the stripped back portion of the evening with his newest track, “Time of My Life.”
From there, the energy ramped back up and never stopped. Boone leapt from the stage several times down into the pit, getting up close and personal with his fans. He chose one fan to serenade, staring directly into her eyes as he sang, the fan falling to her knees as soon as he parted ways. Heat spread through the arena as pyro blasts and fireworks added an extra layer of excitement for “Cry.” He threw in a few more backflips for good measure as he closed out the night with “Beautiful Things.” As the song was coming to an end, Boone once again leapt from the stage, running the entire length of the barricade surrounding his stage while taking moments to high five, hug, pose for selfies, and sign various items for the fans. The show ended with a bang as Boone returned to the stage, running full speed toward the back of the main stage, fireworks exploding as he dove over the edge.
Boone is an incredible performer. His impressive vocals and stage presence make for a performance absolutely worth catching live. With only a handful of dates left before the “Wanted Man” tour wraps on September 3, grab your tickets while you still can!
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