Benson Boone Packed New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center With Eight Flips, Shirtless Finale Pyrotechnics and a Family Friendly Wanted Man Tour Spectacle
NEW ORLEANS, LA — Benson Boone turned Sunday night at the Smoothie King Center into a 1 hour and 45 minute showcase of athletic pop-rock theater, landing eight flips along the way. The New Orleans crowd kept reacting every time he launched himself into the air, whether the move came early in the set or during the finale.
Boone’s signature blend of earnest vocals and stunt-level movement framed the entire show. He opened with “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” flipped after the first verse, and saved two more airborne moments for “Beautiful Things,” the song that closed the night with a full blast of confetti, shirtless victory laps and pyro.
A set built around two albums and one unmistakable stage move
The 20-song set leaned heavily on Boone’s two full-length releases, with eight tracks from 2024’s “Fireworks & Rollerblades” and eight from 2025’s “American Heart.” That balance helped the show feel like both a victory lap and a career snapshot, especially for fans who have followed his rapid rise since “American Idol” in 2021.
His ascent has been unusually fast for a 24-year-old arena act. After impressing judges on the talent show, he left before the season ended and later signed with Night Street Records, the label founded by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds. Boone also brought a polished, G-rated approach that made the arena feel more like a communal celebration than a rowdy rock spectacle.
The production stretched the arena and gave Boone room to move
Boone’s stage design used the Smoothie King Center’s size to his advantage. A long catwalk ran nearly the full length of the floor and connected to a circular secondary platform with a rising center section that gave him a launch point for flips. He also performed from a star-like pedestal suspended from the ceiling track during “In the Stars.”
LED screens, a sloped main stage and cutout fan pits filled the empty space that many arena setups leave unused. The production stayed energetic even when Boone stepped back to the piano, showing off his keyboard work in songs like “Mr. Electric Blue” and flipping off the piano during “Slow It Down.” His four-piece band kept the arrangements tight and faithful to the recordings.
Young fans, family groups and a finale built for screams
The audience reflected Boone’s youthful fan base, with plenty of kids in the building even though school was waiting the next day. One small fan showed up in a powder blue sequined jumpsuit that echoed Boone’s look from his 2025 Grammy Awards performance, another moment that made the night feel designed for repeat attention from younger listeners.
Boone leaned into that crowd with dry jokes and direct asides, including a line about fans who were dragged there by a teenager and would rather be watching football. By the time “Beautiful Things” arrived, he was ready to give the audience everything at once: another flip, a shirt toss, high fives, hugs and autograph attempts along the barricade before one final leap and a last burst of pyrotechnics.
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