On May 3rd, Charlie Puth came to perform in Seattle. When his album dropped, I eagerly waited for tour dates to be released and bought tickets right away when they were. I have followed Charlie’s social media for years, and have been a fan since he opened for Shawn Mendes’ Illuminate tour in 2017 (I was 11!). His new album, Whatever’s Clever, was released in March and feels nostalgic, like an homage to 80s/90s pop with his own twist.
The show was at Wamu, a venue I have become pretty familiar with by now. I went with my siblings and cousin, and when we got there at about 6:50, the doors were open. We got a decent spot about 7 or so people away from the barricade on the left side of the stage. At 7:30, the show started, and the first opener, Ally Salort, started her set. She has a beautiful voice and pretty good lyrics, although overall, her genre of music is not my favorite. My favorite of her songs was “I’ve Never Met Her”. About 20 minutes after Salort’s set, the second opener, Daniel Seavey, came out. I have never heard his music, and while it is also not my favorite genre, he is very talented! He was using looper pedals and ran around the stage playing all of the instruments with a small band. He took a song suggestion to improvise and ended up playing a small part of Dracula by Tame Impala. It was so cool to watch something like that live!
At about 9, Charlie Puth made his way to the stage. He was introduced by his band, and the vibes were soulful and bright, a perfect fit for the album’s nostalgic touch. He opened with “Beat Yourself Up,” the second track on the album. He then played a few songs from Voicenotes, his 2018 album. When he got around to his most popular songs, “Attention,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” and “Suffer,” etc., the whole place sang along. The crowd was a mix of middle-aged people and college students my age, which makes complete sense! I feel like part of Charlie Puth’s appeal, besides his perfect pitch and songwriting talent, is the 2010s nostalgia.Â
Seattle was only his seventh show of the tour, but he had brought out a few musical guests during some of the previous shows. I was hoping he’d bring out Kenny G (featured on “Cry”) for us, but we ended up with no special guest. But, to make up for it, he played “Marvin Gaye” for the first time live in six years! It was not originally on the Spotify setlist, and we were a little disappointed because of it. But, he played it! He put a “Whatever’s Clever” 80s spin on it, and it was probably my favorite song of the night. He talked a little about his and his wife’s new baby, and finished out the night with “Changes,” the single for the album (the music video was their pregnancy announcement!).Â
Overall, the night was so much fun. The vibes were great, and I’m so glad I got to see Charlie again! If the “Whatever’s Clever” tour is coming to your city, I would highly recommend it.Â
Here is the link for the official setlist on Spotify:
Charlie Puth’s Whatever’s Clever World Tour Official Setlist