Concert Reviews

The Berklee alum blended jazz, pop, and nostalgia at his “Whatever's Clever! World Tour.”

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Charlie Puth at MGM Music Hall in Fenway, May 22, 2026.

Charlie Puth brought a mix of jazz and pop to MGM Music Hall in Fenway Friday night, making the audience dance, sway, and wave their phone flashlights through nearly every song. But while his new album “Whatever’s Clever!” gave the night its framework, it was often his older hits that sparked the loudest reactions from the crowd. 

Throughout the night, Puth made one thing undeniably clear: He is one of the most naturally gifted musicians performing in pop music today. 

He doesn’t simply sing songs — he understands music at its core. Whether he was breaking down chord progressions for the crowd, improvising riffs at the pianos, or scatting between verses, every moment of the concert reflected an artist deeply connected to his craft. 

Live, Puth’s vocals are on another level. The runs feel effortless, the control is nearly flawless, and the note holds separate him from many artists in mainstream pop. 

Puth mixed several older songs into material from “Whatever’s Clever!,” his album released in March. The album also lends its name to his worldwide tour, which spans 22 countries before concluding in Australia later in mid-November. 

Friday’s stop in Boston felt particularly meaningful for the singer-songwriter, who referred to the city as his “second home.” 

The setting at MGM Music Hall matched the mood of the performance. Rather than relying on elaborate stage gimmicks or highly choreographed dance routines, Puth leaned into a stripped-down aesthetic that highlighted musicianship over spectacle. 

Animated visuals played softly across the screens behind him, while flashes of light matched the tempo and emotion of each song without overwhelming the performance. Instruments were scattered around the stage, smoke drifted through the venue, and the entire atmosphere carried a sleek, jazz-club energy despite the arena-sized crowd. 

Audience members embraced that aesthetic as well. Many arrived in ties, button-down shirts, and pleated schoolgirl skirts, referencing Puth’s viral online persona, “Professor Puth,” in which he explains music theory and production techniques on social media. 

And “Professor Puth” absolutely showed up Saturday night. Between songs, he discussed harmonies, notes, and songwriting with the kind of enthusiasm only a true music nerd could deliver. 

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Puth reminisced throughout the evening about his years as a student in the city, joking about local food spots and memories from his college days. He specifically referenced Little Steve’s Pizzeria, a Berklee staple that is now permanently closed. 

“A lot of food in my memories. Getting someone to do my composition homework,” Puth told the audience with a laugh. 

“Boston, you’ve done so much for me,” Puth said while performing “Done For Me.” 

At another point, Puth jokes that because he was so close to Berklee, he had to keep the set “extra jazzy.” That promise began one of the defining moments of the show. 

Much of that jazz influence came from his three backup vocalists, who added incredible richness to the live arrangements. They were not there to simply support Puth — they actively elevated the music. Their layered harmonies added warmth and depth to every song, especially during slower or more emotional moments. 

Several times throughout the night, the backup vocalists were given opportunities to step forward for their own solos, showcasing vocal talent impressive enough to command a stage themselves. 

Openers set the tone 

For an artist known for his technical understanding of music, it made sense that Puth selected equally talented musicians to open the show. Both Ally Salort and Daniel Seavey delivered performances that prepared the crowd for the night ahead. 

Salort immediately captured the audience’s attention with her indie-pop sound and commanding vocals. By only her fourth song, phone flashlights filled the venue, as audience members settled into the dreamy atmosphere she created. Though newer to large venues, Salort carried herself confidently onstage, balancing original songs with covers that connected strongly with the crowd. 

Seavey’s set became one of the night’s biggest surprises. Before even singing a note, he showed his musical versatility by building loops live onstage. Picking up guitars, keyboards, and percussion instruments one by one, Seavey layered sounds together until he had essentially created an entire backing band by himself. 

At one point, Seavey asked the audience to suggest a song for him to cover, even encouraging them to pick one he might not know. Seavey then played “Drop Dead” by Olivia Rodrigo, quickly piecing together a live looping arrangement — and the audience practically dropped dead themselves, stunned with his vocal talents and ability to multitask instrumentally. 

Puth brings nostalgia and reinvention 

Puth took the stage around 9 p.m., opening with “Beat Yourself Up,” one of the standout tracks from “Whatever’s Clever!” The crowd immediately snapped along to the beat while phones shot into the air to capture the moment. 

His second song, “How Long,” sent the audience straight back to 2017. The crowd sang nearly every lyric louder than Puth himself, turning the venue into a massive karaoke session. By the time he performed “Washed Up” third, nearly everyone in the audience was clapping and moving in rhythm with the band. 

One of the most impressive aspects of his performance was Puth’s willingness to reinvent his songs live. He added riffs, altered melodies, and extended vocal runs in ways that made each performance feel fresh. 

During quieter moments, especially while performing “Home” at the piano, the venue transformed entirely, as thousands of fans fell silent, allowing Puth’s vocals and piano playing to become the sole focus. 

Before performing “Cry,” Puth paused to reflect on emotional vulnerability and self-expression. 

“It’s actually much more interesting if you’re emotional and outwardly emotional — not only in your art, but as a person,” he said. “It makes you stronger as an individual, and I wrote this for someone in my life who really needed to hear that it’s okay to cry.” 

Of course, some of the loudest moments came during his biggest mainstream hits. As soon as the opening notes of “We Don’t Talk Anymore” and “Attention” began, nearly every person in the venue reached for their phones to record. 

But perhaps the most emotionally effective moment came during “One Call Away.” Earlier portions of the set leaned heavily on energetic rhythms and jazz-infused grooves, yet this 2015 hit introduced a softer wave of nostalgia across the venue. The backup vocalists transformed the arrangement with layered harmonies and subtle “oohs” woven throughout the chorus, giving the familiar ballad an entirely new texture. 

That reinvention highlighted Puth’s growth as an artist. Instead of recreating his older songs exactly as fans remembered them, he reshaped them through jazzier instrumentation and richer vocal arrangements, allowing longtime hits to evolve alongside him. 

Puth closed the night with “Changes,” ending the concert on an upbeat note while still showcasing his musical complexity. 

One of the night’s funniest moments arrived when Puth unexpectedly referenced Mikayla Nogueira, the Boston-area influencer and makeup artist. Puth revealed that he had watched one of her TikTok videos backstage before the show, where she mentioned attending the concert. When Nogueira identified herself from the front row, Puth reacted with genuine surprise.

“Oh my gosh! You’re here,” he exclaimed.

The interaction earned huge laughs from the crowd while also making Puth seem refreshingly normal. For all his musical brilliance, moments like that reminded the audience that he is still someone casually scrolling through TikTok before going onstage.

Beyond the vocals, humor, and nostalgia, however, the strongest part of the concert was Puth’s genuine passion for music itself. 

“There are 12 notes in the scale, and an infinite amount of songs to be written, and we haven’t even hit the cusp of it yet,” he said. 

Throughout the night, he encouraged young artists in the audience to continue creating.

At another point, he noticed a fan holding a sign saying they had recorded a demo for him. Rather than ignoring it, Puth asked them to pass it to the front of the stage so he could listen later. 

“Don’t be discouraged if there’s someone in your life discouraging you to make your art,” he said. “Don’t get angry at that person. Just keep doing what you have to do.” 

Setlist for Charlie Puth at MGM Music Hall in Fenway, May 22, 2026:

• Beat Yourself Up
• How Long
• Washed Up
• LA Girls
• Empty Cups
• Home
• Cry
• Patient
• Sideways
• We Don’t Talk Anymore
• BOY
• Done For Me
• Attention
• Cheating on You
• Love in Exile
• One Call Away
• See You Again
• Changes