GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province — Benson Boone didn't walk onto the stage for his latest Korean concert. He flipped onto it.
Standing atop a grand piano as screams filled Kintex Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang on Monday, the 24-year-old American singer-songwriter launched himself into a backflip before kicking off “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else.”
It was a fitting introduction to the energy-packed 100-minute show. Across 20 songs, Boone sprinted across the stage, threw himself into his signature backflips and ventured toward the crowd — all while maintaining the powerful vocals that first propelled him to global recognition.
“What’s up, Korea!” he shouted, greeting the 3,600-strong crowd at the first Korean show of his “Wanted Man” tour. “You guys are louder than I expected, but let’s turn it up more.”
The opening stretch kept the energy high. “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” flowed into “Mr. Electric Blue,” during which Boone played the Yamaha grand piano himself, followed by “There She Goes” and “Wanted Man.”
Boone is a natural showman, commanding attention even before he begins to sing. His backflips have become a signature, appearing everywhere from his concerts to his performance of “Beautiful Things” at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Yet Monday’s concert demonstrated that the acrobatics remain secondary to his voice.
Even after racing from one end of the stage to the other, Boone’s vocals rarely appeared strained, moving between softer passages and the raspy, explosive belts that characterize hits such as “Cry” and “Beautiful Things.”
Boone was equally generous in sharing the stories behind his favorite songs, frequently pausing to explain the personal experiences that shaped them.
Before “In the Stars,” Boone explained that he wrote the song after losing his great-grandmother, describing music as an outlet for his grief.
“No matter where I am in the world, no matter who I’m singing to, no matter what language you speak, what color your skin is, or how much money you make, it doesn’t matter, as everyone can feel the same thing during this song,” he said. “I think this song is for everyone.”
The introspection continued with “My Greatest Fear,” as Boone told the crowd that his greatest fear was one day taking the stage without an audience.
“My greatest fear is walking onto this stage and standing in front of nobody. My greatest fear is not having you,” he said. “You guys make my life a living dream.”
He knew how to draw deafening cheers from the crowd. He unfurled a Korean flag bearing his own face and also changed some lyrics to include “Korea” and repeatedly expressed his affection for Korean fans.
Boone also performed “Ghost Town,” recalling his October 2022 busking performance by the Han River that helped build his following in Korea. He returned to the river for another busking session in 2023 before coming back to Korea for his Wanted Man tour.
The song prompted a mass singalong before the show entered its final stretch with “I Wanna Be the One You Call,” “What Was,” “Cry” and “Beautiful Things” — the global hit that propelled Boone to international stardom.
Following his Korean show, Boone will continue the Asian leg of his “Wanted Man” tour with stops in Tokyo and Singapore before heading to Australia in November.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com