The Flipping Time of My Life with Benson Boone

by Aprille Hanson-Spivey 

Aprille Hanson-Spivey Photo

A Benson Boone concert is a flipping fun time. Literally. 
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The pop artist who gained TikTok and brief “American Idol” fame brought his Wanted Man tour to Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 29, and it was nonstop joy from the moment he first flipped onto the stage. 

This was his fourth headlining tour, with two albums under his belt: Fireworks & Rollerblades (2024) and American Heart (2025). Wanted Man has 47 stops from July through November across three continents. His opener, Luna Li, was impressive, playing at least five instruments during her set, but, sadly, sound issues made it hard to decipher any of her songs. 

Thankfully, the sound was perfect for Boone, who packs so much energy into his hour-and-40-minute set; it’s honestly mystical and magical, if you will. 

I knew about three of his songs going into the night with my free concert ticket gifted by one of my best friends. I’ve had family and friends rave about his shows, but it’s really something entirely different to experience. 

One, there’s a lot of backflips — it’s his schtick. He’s been backflipping since he was a child, and his athleticism as a competitive diver certainly has helped his stamina. I lost track of how many flips he did, but it was captivating to watch him do it from start to finish, and not even seem the least bit tired, minus the sweat dripping off of him. I guess being just 24 helps. 

Two, he’s adorable. His fans range from daughters to moms, sons to dads, and it’s so cool to watch him interact with fans so genuinely. When he finished his set, he ran around all sides of the stage to sign autographs and give hugs to his swooning fanbase. During his set, he talked about how he locks eyes with fans while singing, and I believe it. Our seats were in a suite, but you could clearly see how immersed he was in his fans around the stage, without alienating the rest of us. He brought us into the chaos and quiet moments, making everyone feel like we were experiencing something so powerful together. 

Third, it’s not just about the backflips. It was the confetti cannons, Boone floating on a suspended platform singing “In The Stars” and his overall high-energy running and singing and just having fun. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but it was a total surprise and delight when red, white and blue paper hearts burst out of confetti cannons lining the stage during his performance of “Young American Heart.” 
His setlist was packed with familiar favorites, kicking it off with “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mr. Electric Blue.” He played around with fans, starting “Mystical Magical,” and stopping to ask if we knew that one. But besides the high-energy songs like “Wanted Man,” he snuck in powerful, slower ballads like “Drunk In My Mind,” “Slow It Down” and “Momma Song.” Boone also explained that the peak of his concert will always be “The Time of My Life,” so fans should choose another time to buy merch or make a bathroom stop. It was sweet to see a performer share that vulnerability and be honest that it wasn’t the high-charging performances that meant the most to him. It was instead this sad, slower song, with lyrics like “‘Cause now that every day is a party / Every night’s a nightmare / I can’t lay down my head / Without wishing you came along.” He wrapped it all up with his biggest hit, “Beautiful Things.” 

I couldn’t say I was a Boone fan before seeing him live, but I certainly am now. He has that ability — you can’t help but be sucked in by his energy and kindness to fans. Boone is a true performer; one music fans should take a chance on seeing if they ever get the chance.