Back to CHI Health Center
The last time I was at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, I was front and center for Linkin Park on August 29, 2025. That show set the bar pretty high, to say the least. So, almost exactly a year later, I found myself walking back into the same arena for Benson Boone’s Wanted Man World Tour.
That’s a tough show to follow.
Still, I was excited to see what Benson had in store. I‘d heard his name plenty of times and knew some of his biggest songs, but I wouldn’t consider myself a dedicated Benson Boone fan going into the night. I knew about his rise from American Idol, his impressive vocal range, and, of course, the flips. But knowing about an artist and actually experiencing them live are two very different things.
My media approval for this show came with a review ticket alone rather than a photo pass. At first, I was a little disappointed not to have the opportunity to photograph the show, but it became pretty obvious why that was the case as soon as I walked into the arena.
The stage was absolutely massive.
It stretched almost the entire length of the arena, creating a huge performance space that immediately changed the way the audience experienced the show. I’ve come to appreciate large stages for a reason. Instead of having one narrow strip of barricade where hundreds of fans are fighting for a few feet of space, a larger stage gives more people an opportunity to get close to the artist they came to see.
And Benson Boone took full advantage of every inch of it.
But before we get to that, there was an opener who deserved her own moment in the spotlight.
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Luna Li Sets the Tone
Opening for a massive arena show has to be intimidating. Walking onto a stage in front of thousands of people who came specifically to see someone else can’t be an easy task.
Luna Li made it look easy.
I’d never heard Luna Li before this show, and honestly, one of my favorite ways to discover new artists is through live performances. There’s something different about hearing an artist for the first time in a room full of people and getting to experience their music exactly as they intended it to be experienced.
Luna and her band took the stage and immediately owned the relatively short amount of time they were given.
Her sound was an interesting combination of earthy and ethereal. There was a dreamlike quality to the music that made it feel both intimate and expansive at the same time. The melodic nature of her songs reminded me at times of one of my favorite artists, Aurora, although Luna certainly has an identity of her own.
And then there was the instrumentation.
Luna Li was essentially a musical jack of all trades throughout the set. She played guitar, including a particularly memorable butterfly shaped guitar, as well as harp, violin, and even a flute. Watching her move between instruments added another layer to an already captivating performance.
It was the kind of set that made me understand why opening acts are important. Sometimes you walk into a concert knowing exactly who you came to see, and you walk away having discovered someone completely new.
The crowd seemed to agree. Luna had the arena warmed up nicely, particularly when she launched into a cover of Harry Styles’ “As It Was.” It was a recognizable moment that gave the audience something familiar while still fitting naturally into her set.
Luna Li made a great first impression.
But nothing could have prepared us for what was about to happen.
The Biggest Arena Wave I’ve Ever Seen
While the crew was changing the stage and the crowd was growing increasingly anxious for Benson to appear, something happened that I’ve genuinely never experienced at a concert before.
It started small.
Someone down in the pit began trying to get the seated sections to do a wave.
Yes. A sporting event style wave.
At first, I laughed. There’s no way I thought it was actually going to work. Getting an entire concert arena to coordinate something like that seemed almost impossible.
Then one section joined.
Then another.
And another.
Before long, the wave had made its way through the entire arena, from the floor to the upper levels. Thousands of people were participating as this massive ripple moved around the building.
I just stood there smiling.
It was one of those spontaneous concert moments that nobody planned and nobody could have really manufactured. It was simply a crowd having fun while waiting for the main event.
And then the arena went dark.
Benson Boone Is a Performer
Going into the show, there were really only a few things I knew about Benson Boone.
I knew he had gotten his start on American Idol at just 18 years old. I knew he could sing. And I knew this man apparently has an obsession with doing flips on stage.
So, naturally, before the show I asked people on Facebook how many flips they thought Benson would do. Some guessed 5 or 6, some got particular about if we were doing total or breaking it down to front or back flips.
The final answer?
Two front flips and four back flips throughout the performance.
And somehow, he made every single one look ridiculously easy.
But the flips were just one small part of what made this performance so impressive.
Benson Boone is a performer in every sense of the word.
This man did not stop moving.
If the entire night were converted into steps on a fitness tracker, I’ve got to believe Benson would have logged somewhere around thirty thousand steps, if not more. He ran across the stage, interacted with fans, climbed around the barricade area, jumped, danced, and generally seemed incapable of standing still for more than a few seconds.
And when he wasn’t moving under his own power, he was being moved around the arena on a massive stage piece.
It was one of the most energetic stage performances I’ve ever seen.
The impressive thing, though, was that the physical performance never overshadowed the music. His vocals were powerful and passionate, and the production surrounding him elevated everything rather than simply existing for spectacle.
The lighting, fireworks, pyro, moving stage pieces, and massive arena setup all worked together to create something that felt much bigger than a standard concert.
As Benson himself would say, it was mystical and magical.
The Crowd Became Part of the Show
One of my favorite moments of the entire night came during “Mystical Magical.”
The song began, but then Benson stopped it.
He turned his attention toward the crowd and asked if they knew the song. The response was immediate.
The entire arena erupted into the chorus.
Thousands of voices singing back at Benson while he simply stood there taking it all in was one of those moments that reminded me why live music is so special. The artist creates the song, but the audience gives it an entirely different life when they sing it back.
Benson appeared genuinely stunned by the response.
And that was a recurring theme throughout the night. The production was huge, but there were still moments where Benson made the massive CHI Health Center feel surprisingly personal.
Three Standout Performances
There were plenty of highlights throughout the night, but a few moments stood above the rest.
During “Drunk in My Mind,” Benson leaped his way into the barricade pit and performed directly alongside the fans on the rail.
This was exactly the kind of moment that a massive stage makes possible.
Instead of being confined to the center of the stage, Benson was able to physically bring the performance to the people who had spent hours waiting to see him. The reaction from the fans made it clear how much that moment meant to them.
“The Mama Song” was another standout, but for a completely different reason.
Benson performed the entire song while standing on top of his piano.
It was an incredibly simple visual compared to the fireworks and massive stage movements happening elsewhere in the show, but somehow that simplicity made it even more memorable.
There was something striking about watching him stand above the stage and deliver such an emotional song while surrounded by thousands of people.
And then there was “Beautiful Things.”
There was really no other song that could have ended the night.
The song has become one of Benson’s defining moments, and hearing it performed live inside an arena filled with people who knew every word was the perfect conclusion to the evening.
After everything that came before it, the spectacle, the flips, the pyro, the moving stage, the screaming fans, and the nonstop energy, “Beautiful Things” brought everything home.
A New Benson Boone Fan
When I walked into CHI Health Center, I was there to review a concert.
When I walked out, I was a new Benson Boone fan.
That honestly surprised me.
I knew some of his music going into the night, but I didn’t fully understand the hype surrounding him. After seeing this performance, I get it.
Benson Boone isn’t simply a vocalist who happens to have a large production behind him. He’s a genuine entertainer. He knows how to use a stage, how to interact with an audience, how to build anticipation, and how to make a massive arena feel like a place where something unique is happening.
And apparently, he knows how to do six flips while doing it.
In fact, I was impressed enough that I immediately bought his two most recent vinyl records to add to my collection.
That’s probably the best endorsement I can give.
Afterglow
Overall, the Wanted Man World Tour absolutely blew my mind.
From the melodic and ethereal introduction provided by Luna Li to the powerful, passionate, and wildly energetic performance from Benson Boone, the entire evening was a spectacle of musicianship, raw talent, production, and charisma.
The fact that I walked into the show with relatively limited knowledge of Benson’s music and walked out wanting to own his records says quite a bit about the effectiveness of his live performance.
If you haven’t seen Benson Boone live, even if you aren’t particularly familiar with his music, I would absolutely recommend giving him a chance. You don’t have to know every song to appreciate what he does on stage.
You might discover a new favorite artist.
You might find yourself singing along to songs you didn’t know before.
And, at the very least, you’re probably going to see some flips.
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