This was one of the most read stories of 2023 on nzherald.co.nz.
REVIEW
It may be singer-songwriter Charlie Puth’s first time performing a headline show in New Zealand, but it’s safe to say it won’t be the last.
Taking to the Spark Arena stage on Saturday night, 31 year old Puth - an artist who has built a reputation for having more talent in his little finger than most do in their entire body - was more than at home on both the stage and in the country, and there’s a touching reason why.
Confessing the last time he performed here was more than six years ago to a crowd of merely 1000 people, he revealed his show was going to be a sort of love letter to New Zealand as he credited us with helping him reach the heights of fame he is today.
“Auckland has always shown love from day one, to every song I’ve ever put out y’all have put that sh*t straight to the top, ya’ll are the first,” he said, thanking the crowd before vulnerably admitting, “I didn’t exactly know if I was going to be able to do this.”
The star has had multiple number one hits in New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images
Fortunately for the Grammy-nominated star, his fears were proven unneeded, something that could have been predicted by the fact that he has long held a special place in our hearts.
Having cracked the Top 10 of the New Zealand charts multiple times with two number one singles, Marvin Gaye and See You Again, his three studio albums, Nine Track Mind (2016), Voicenotes (2018) and Charlie (2022) have also all landed top spots. And the show was a direct reflection of the artist and the fans appreciation for one another with the Auckland arena sporting a healthy crowd of almost 12,000.
Performing all his most iconic hits such as Charlie Be Quiet!, Attention, and Light Switch, the American singer showed off his crème de la crème vocal capabilities that would have resulted in a noisy crowd, had they not been left too shocked to speak - not that the main man was concerned.
Spending the majority of his 75-minute set interacting with the crowd through stories of how he wrote each song, complementing crowdgoers signs or outfits, and of course, shouting an “I love you too” to anyone who confessed their love for the multitalented singer, it was clear Puth wasn’t working but rather enjoying the company of the crowd as much as they were his.
“I love y’all so much,” he grinned. “I feel like this is like playing in my living room. This is unbelievable.”
Keeping his audience more than entertained, a clear crowd favourite came when the star played a cover of the record-breaking single, Stay by Kid Laroi featuring Justin Bieber - which Puth worked as a co-writer and producer on.
Whispers of “I didn’t know he wrote that” echoed in the air and it would be fair to say the Kiwi crowd may have paid for their seats, but absolutely no one walked away from The “Charlie” Live Experience, feeling as though it were a waste of their hard-earned cash.
Charlie Puth performs his last show on The Charlie Live Experience tour in Auckland. Photo / Getty Images
Despite Puth’s Auckland concert marking the end of his tour which started in May, he appeared more energetic than ever and delivered a captivating performance to the all-ages crowd full of children, teens, parents and grandparents, showcasing his natural talent for making chart-topping pop hits that will live on for years to come.
The only downfall and perhaps biggest surprise, came when his audience failed to pull through with a loud and lively demand for an encore.
Maybe it was Puth’s vocals that had them under a spell, perhaps it was that classic laid-back Kiwi stereotype we are known for, whatever the reason, it was almost radio silence as the star bid “goodbye” and stood by the side of the stage waiting for a deafening chant that never came.
Shaking off the silence, Puth returned to the stage and joked, “I’m really bad at pretending I’m not going to come back out so do you guys wanna hear one more song?” And this time, the loudness came.
Launching into One Call Away, he thanked his band, the crew and the crowd before finally, an encore demand revealed itself. “I’m obviously going to play one more,” he smirked launching into See You Again.
It felt like a more than fitting end for a concert that marks the start of what we can only assume will be a cemented spot for New Zealand on the Puth tour schedule.
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
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