Ben Platt • July 16, 2024 • Eccles Theater
Reviewed by Austin Dayton
Singer Song-Writer Ben Platt took the stage in Salt Lake City this week as he performed back-to-back shows on July 16th and 17th. The singer crafted a riveting set of music clearly displaying his Broadway-trained voice. Each song would go on to leave the audience spellbound and in awe of his full range of skills and talents as a vocalist. Though the sold-out audience at the Eccles Theater was anxiously excited to see Ben, the show started with a brief moment of disappointment as he went on to announce that his opener, Brandy Clark, would not be performing due to an unforeseen illness. The letdown was fleeting as Ben shared with the crowd that he would sing some extra songs to make up for her absence. And so, the show went on!
Ben started the show with three original songs from his latest album, Honeymind, released a mere six weeks earlier. The audience quickly proved their devotion to Platt as they sang along, word for word, to “Right Kind of Reckless,” “All American Queen,” and “Andrew”. As he sang, it quickly became apparent that each of these songs held a special place in Ben’s heart. The songwriter eventually let the audience experience the music on a deeper level as he began to lead many of the songs with personal stories relating to everything from growing up queer, experiencing unrequited love, going through breakups, and, eventually, finding the one. Audience members responded to this intimate peek behind the curtain with everything from roars of laughter, dancing in the aisles, and even shedding a few tears.
Ben Platt knew exactly what the audience wanted next as he began to dip back into his previously released discography. Bringing to the stage some of his most popular songs, Ben poured his heart into the crowd while singing tracks such as, “I Want to Love You, But I Don’t” from his 2021 Reverie album and his 2019 single “Rain”. To the amusement of the audience, Ben prefaced the fan favorites with detailed and humorous explanations of his high school dating experiences, further noting it was where he honed his breakup skills.
While singing, Ben clearly displayed the incredible fact that he spent two years as a Broadway singer/actor as he hit and held notes many singers could only dream of. His stage presence alone felt like a privilege to witness and when combined with a voice from the heavens, many an audience member dawned complete awe and adoration upon their faces.
As the 30-year-old performer entered the middle segment of his show, his youthfulness was continually on full display. He danced around the stage, side to side, while smiling ear to ear, and eventually even let the crowd know that it was “time to take his shoes off” so he could keep dancing. This joy he shared was caveated though, later lamenting he felt that he had missed the phase of his life where he should have gotten to be irresponsible and childish, so now was the time to experience what he missed.
As Ben continued to open up, he invited his Band to join him around the “shag carpet campfire.” This was in reference to his beautifully crafted set that included a grand set of stairs, covered in thick cozy shag carpet that would put your grandparent’s basement to shame. From those stairs, surrounded by his band, or “music makers” as he referred to them, Ben proceeded to sing one of his most popular and heart-wrenching songs, “Grow as We Go.” With over 130 million streams worldwide, the Salt Lake City audience proved that they contributed to the popularity of the song as they sang every word with passion and enthusiasm.
At one point in the song, Ben completely stopped singing, and with a smile on his face, let the audience sing his song to him. If one happened to be walking down Main Street at the time, they may have assumed that a well-trained choir was at practice, something about Ben and his voice had rubbed off on that crowd.
An important piece to note is that the singer was not alone on that stage. With him, he brought extremely talented vocalists, guitarists, bassists, and key players. Ben had no problem sharing the spotlight as multiple points throughout his performance he would call attention to and thank his band. In one of these tender moments of gratitude Ben pointed out that the tour had just eight more shows and he was already beginning to think about how much he would miss his friends on stage.
The rest of the night included special tributes, one to singer Liza Minnelli as he delivered a beautiful rendition of “Maybe This Time” while draped in a luxurious white feather robe, as well as singing his original “Before I Knew You” which he dedicated to his fiancé Noah Galvin.
Throughout the entire night, Ben fed off the energy of the jubilant audience, even causing the performer to recall being in the city years earlier, remembering the passion that only Salt Lake could bring. This love and support for the artist could explain why he decided to spend back-to-back nights with the city.
Time flew and before anyone could realize it, the stage lights dimmed, and Ben was dancing off the stage at the conclusion of the “Honeymind” show. Right on cue, as every true concert-going fan knows to do, the crowd erupted with cheers and clapping, signaling to the artist that his time performing at the Eccles Theater was not over just yet.
With an illuminating blast of light from above, Ben was back on stage and as he had promised at the commencement of the evening, he ended his show with a unique, Salt Lake only, encore which finished with a medley of the classics “Wish Upon a Star” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” a compilation which highlighted his talent and skill once more and further confirmed to each audience member that they indeed had made the right choice to spend a Tuesday evening in July with Ben Platt.