Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
The world is full of artists, but few are as reflective and humbly brilliant as Charlie Puth. Well known for his perfect pitch, Puth is recognized as a musical genius — one who builds finger-snapping songs about life and crafts intimate melodies chronicling relationships.
On Friday night, fans flocked to Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, eager to witness Puth work his magic on his “Whatever’s Clever!” album tour. This marks Puth’s fourth studio album, and the tour will run from April to July, featuring over 50 shows worldwide.
His San Francisco stop opened with a set by up-and-coming artist (and fellow New Jerseyan) Ally Salort, who enamored the crowds with a sweet and sparkly demeanor paired with a graceful folksy-pop style. Singing in a timbre that felt like a combination of Taylor Swift and Lizzy McAlpine, Salort crooned her way into audience members’ hearts (including mine) with poignant selections ranging from her own single “Deeper Meaning” to a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ hit “Iris.”
Soon after Salort’s set ended, second opener Daniel Seavey brought smiles to faces as he jumped from electric guitar to drumset to cello, capturing each instrument on his looper before returning to guitar for his first banger “Blame It On You.” Seavey was a charismatic personality from the moment he set foot on stage, charming the audience with his magnetically lighthearted energy and a fan-requested loop machine cover of “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean. My personal favorite of Seavey’s set was his 2023 single, “I Tried,” with its pensive, painfully beautiful melody and yearning lyrics.
After a break between sets, the crowd cheered in surprise as the lights dimmed. As Puth’s backing vocalists appeared on stage — encouraging the audience to make some noise for the man of the hour — Puth himself walked onstage to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, a nod to the groovy 70s/80s ambience embodied in his album. He emerged from the darkness into the spotlight, sporting a bright red shirt. Then he dove into the bright and disco-like “Beat Yourself Up” on keyboard, the second song on “Whatever’s Clever!”
Puth’s set selections spanned the range of his 15-year musical career, including “LA Girls” from 2018 album “Voicenotes” and chart toppers like “Attention” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore” from 2016 album “Nine Track Mind.” Many a time, Puth pointed his microphone at the audience, inviting them to sing along to their favorites — I definitely joined in on “How Long,” even in the photo pit.
Between songs, Puth frequently took to his keyboard to fiddle with some jazz riffs and recount ruminations on his work. At one point, he noted, “The great thing about music is it’s really easy to look back… Imagine you have a soundtrack behind a [moment] — it becomes a double-memory.” Puth’s words struck a chord in me: While I can’t speak for the rest of the audience, I can personally say that as a photographer, I love having soundtracks to my own photo work, recording concerts in my mind and in my camera.
Puth’s new work seems to exude a fondness for retro vibes, funky and fresh at times but simultaneously slow and smooth at others. As in the studio versions of “Home” and “Sideways,” the singer performed duets with his band and backing vocalists, a nod to the impressive number of collaborations included in the original album.
Towards the finale of a two-hour set, Puth performed a cover of Keyshia Cole’s soulful “Love” with an incredible number of vocal turns and held notes. The second and third to last songs were some of the most emotional moments of the show, burrowing deep with longtime favorites “See You Again” and “One Call Away.” As I sang along with the crowd, voice cracking with emotion, I was brought back to a middle-school version of myself, one who had no concept of the weight behind those longing lyrics.
To close the concert on a more upbeat note, Puth brought out the first song of his new album, “Changes.” With lyrics like “Sometimes the wind blows in different new directions and lessons are happenin’ / Maybe that’s just the way it is,” it was a breath of fresh air — a reminder that things are always changing and we may not understand them, but that’s okay.
It was the perfect ending for a show centered in soul-searching, memories and making beauty out of what we have. Puth’s message was clear: Our lives are what we make of them, so we might as well live them to the fullest.
