Charlie Puth’s – Charlie Puth kicked off his “Whatever’s Clever!” world tour in Chicago with a sold-out Rosemont Theatre show, spotlighting his new era as a father alongside big fan favorites—plus energetic opening acts and a memorable riff battle late in the night.
When Charlie Puth walked into the Rosemont Theatre on Friday night at 9 p.m. sharp, it didn’t feel like a routine stop—it felt like a fresh chapter landing in the middle of Chicago’s crowd.
The four-time Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter brought the “Whatever’s Clever!” world tour to the packed venue for what Puth called the tour’s first sold-out show.. He framed the performance as part of a new era tied to his fourth studio album. “Whatever’s Clever!”—released in March—after he recently became a father and began leaning into a more personal musical approach.
Before Puth, the night had two opening artists with sharply different styles, both pulling their weight with the audience.. Alternative pop singer Ally Salort took the stage to perform her newly released single “Finish Line” live for the first time.. Thirty minutes later. pop-rock artist Daniel Seavey led with original songs and covers. operating a looper that stacked instruments including cello. electric guitar and piano.. Mid-set, Seavey jumped off the stage and ran around the venue, greeting attendees as the room kept buzzing.
Puth followed in a dandelion yellow shirt left unbuttoned over a cerulean blue undershirt. starting the show by blending new material with older hits.. He opened with “Beat Yourself Up” from his latest album and then moved into “How Long” from his sophomore record. “Voicenotes.” The crowd itself mirrored the wider reach of his music: Puth’s fans ranged from children to retirees.. One middle-aged man wore a Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs jersey just a couple of rows away. while older women in Sunday best added their own kind of spotlight—at one point during a song. one woman held her arms up as if in gospel.
Throughout, Puth made space to connect directly with the people in front of him.. He praised concertgoers’ outfits. affectionately calling those wearing ties “professors. ” and he said he was grateful to be in a theater because he could clearly see everyone.. Between songs, he played piano riffs and joked about “getting a little jazzy.”
The momentum peaked in the final stretch: the last seven songs of the night leaned hard into his biggest hits. including “Attention” and “Love In Exile.” During that segment. he also pushed his backing singers into the foreground. bringing them in to sing their own verses during or after his songs.. One of the night’s standout moments came from a riff battle between Puth and backing vocalist Jaden Blakely Gray.
Leading into a singalong for “One Call Away. ” Puth urged the audience to keep pursuing their artistry and pointed to ’80s church music as inspiration for his work.. The emotional closer arrived with “See You Again” and “Changes. ” and by the end the crowd was swaying with their phone flashlights raised in the air.
The night’s story holds together through the sequence of choices Puth made: a first sold-out Chicago stop framed as the tour’s beginning. opening acts that introduced contrasting energy. and then a set built from early-era hits into the last seven-song run where “Attention” and “Love In Exile” led into a backing-singer spotlight. before “See You Again” and “Changes” landed as the emotional finale.
As the show wrapped, the feeling in the room matched the goodbye tone Puth left behind—one more reminder that in Chicago, the “Whatever’s Clever!” era didn’t just play out. It arrived, energized the crowd, and then moved on with the rest of his tour.
Charlie Puth Whatever’s Clever Rosemont Theatre Chicago sold-out show Ally Salort Daniel Seavey Jaden Blakely Gray Attention Love In Exile See You Again Changes