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A decade-long climb to a stadium stage
American pop star Charlie Puth performed his first headlining stadium concert on the 11th, drawing about 38,000 fans to Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi province, South Korea.
The concert, billed as “Whatever’s Clever! World Tour in Seoul,” marked Puth’s first solo performance in the country in two years and came a decade after his Korean debut. His first concert there, at Seoul’s Yes24 Live Hall in 2016, sold out in 10 minutes. He later moved to progressively larger venues: Jamsil Indoor Stadium in 2018, KSPO Dome in 2023, Gocheok Sky Dome in 2024 and, this year, the main stadium in Goyang.
His previous Korean engagements also sold out, including 17,000 seats across two Jamsil shows, 45,000 across three KSPO Dome dates and 50,000 across two Gocheok Sky Dome performances. Goyang Stadium has previously hosted major international acts including Coldplay, Oasis and The Weeknd.
Shortly before the concert, Puth celebrated the milestone on social media, writing that he had just stepped off the plane and did not care how his hair looked because he was about to perform his first stadium show. He added that he loved his Korean fans.
Hits, fan singalongs and K-pop guests
Puth opened with “Beat Yourself Up,” from his fourth studio album, “Whatever’s Clever,” released in March, before moving into “How Long.” Playing keyboards and synthesizers, he performed fan favorites including “Dangerously” and “One Call Away.” The crowd sang along and lit the stadium with cellphone flashlights when he walked onto an extended stage.
After performing “Left and Right,” his collaboration with Jung Kook of BTS, Puth thanked the K-pop star and described the concert as a special day. Another surprise came during “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” when Nayeon of the K-pop group Twice appeared without advance notice to sing the part performed by Selena Gomez on the original recording.
Before “LA Girls,” Puth told the audience that his life had included many highs and lows, and that the song was written during a particularly difficult period before he reached the top. Introducing “Cry,” his new song with saxophonist Kenny G, he said it had helped him understand that it was acceptable to cry and that people do not always have to be strong.
During “Attention,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, Puth appeared emotional and wiped his eyes while looking out at the audience.
“A memory we will not forget”
Puth performed 16 songs over 90 minutes with little rest, closing with the new track “Changes.” Near the end, he again became emotional and thanked the crowd, also saying “thank you” in Korean.
He told fans that reaching the stadium had been a long journey, but that every moment had been worthwhile. Even when life is difficult and happiness feels hard to find, he said, the concert offered comfort and would become a memory that he and the audience would not forget.
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