REVIEW: Charlie Puth @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion 07/13

By Caroline Barry

The night was perfect for an outdoor venue; the air was saturated with the excitement of preteens at the height of summer, and the sun set just in time for the stage lights to shine at full effect. Fans poured into the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion seats with signs and merchandise in hand to inaugurate the first night of Charlie Puth’s Honda Civic tour. Puth is a successful member of the newest wave of teen heartthrob singers. He’s known for big hits featuring stars like Selena Gomez, James Taylor, and Meghan Trainor, as well as for a few solo chart-climbers, like his romantic “One Call Away.”

Although his voice only hit the radio in 2015 as a feature on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” Puth has been a star in my eyes since I was in seventh grade. At that time, in 2010, he was a student at our neighboring university Berklee College of Music. During his free time away from his jazz piano studies, he made comedic music with his friends for YouTube. Watching him parade around Kenmore Square, Symphony, and the Prudential Center in these music videos instilled in me this inexplicable passion for Boston; thus, I made it my mission to follow in his footsteps and move to this glorious city. Well, I did it, didn’t I?

The concert was fantastic. His hits like “How Long” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore” were so much more powerful live than on the radio. Puth has a very charismatic, genuine stage presence. He played his keytar like it was a classic electric guitar; the moms were drunk and loving it; and when he took his shirt off, I too reverted to the exaggerated nature of a thirteen-year-old girl. The bassline in “Attention” had the entire crowd dancing, and his bad-boy exterior was continually interrupted by the goofy faces he made while rocking out on his keyboard. Puth made sure to acknowledge and thank his touring band throughout the show, giving his drummer time for a superb solo.

The last song of the night, “See You Again,” was introduced with an emotional anecdote: as all of his songs are written about true events, this song was dedicated to one of his college friends who died in a car accident on the Mass Ave bridge. The L.A.-residing artist spoke fondly of his years living in Boston and all that it meant to him as a musician. After that final performance, there were teary eyes all around as we exited the venue.

Charlie Puth is a musician to watch. His newest album, Voicenotes, maintains his prior pop style, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see his future music take on a more mature jazz style. He’s made major headway since his viral videos (go search up my favorite, “I’m So Hot”) and I can’t wait to see where he goes next.