Singer and actor Ben Platt last week kicked off the tour of his new album, Honeymind, in a fun and lyrical performance at Boston’s Wang Theatre.
From the dancy “All American Queen” to the tender “Before I Knew You”, Honeymind unabashedly and lovingly centers the queer experience. This normalization of LGBTQ+ identities and love is made all the more powerful by the album’s folk- and Americana-inspired sound; hom*ophobic and transphobic rhetoric would have us believe that queerness is incompatible with the “true and tried, stars and stripеs” ideal that Platt sings about. Even though most aspects of the concert were quite good but won’t stick with me in my memory, this celebration of queerness was the “Cherry on Top” (another Honeymind track) to the talent and emotion that also characterized Platt’s performance.
Before pivoting towards releasing solo music, Platt gained fame through his performance as protagonist Evan Hansen in the original cast of the musical Dear Evan Hansen in 2015. The 30-year-old’s acting experience also includes Pitch Perfect and The Politician.
Platt signed with Atlantic Records in 2017; he then released his first album, Sing to Me Instead, in 2019 and his second album, Reverie, in 2021. His most recent album, Honeymind, was released on May 31. Songs from this album make up the majority of Platt’s current tour.
The singer told the audience that much of Honeymind is inspired by and dedicated to his fiancé, fellow actor and singer Noah Galvin. This would have been clear even without him saying so: Platt’s love for his soon-to-be-husband filled—and elevated—his performance.
Platt’s setlist took listeners through his experience growing up queer, from the unrequited crush on a straight boy described in “Andrew” to the head-over-heels early thrill of dating in “Share Your Address” to the deep, everlasting love coating “Before I Knew You.” Before getting to some of the harder aspects of queer childhood, though, Platt followed his opening track, “Right Kind of Reckless,” with “All American Queen,” one of my personal favorites.
Listening to “All American Queen” online before the concert, I liked it, but had some reservations. The lyrics describe a boy who embodies many gay stereotypes, such as loving the color pink and wanting to be a cheerleader. In other words, the song’s protagonist would likely have, unfortunately, faced hom*ophobic bullying in almost any school growing up. To counter this, the song presents its protagonist as universally beloved and all-American—and his stereotypically gay traits are part and parcel to why he is viewed this way. Before seeing the song live, I thought this was nice escapism, but was overdone; it seemed obvious that the song was about queer joy as the opposite of hom*ophobic bullying, not pure queer joy.
The live performance, however, won me over. Onstage, “All American Queen” was aware of its gaudy nature in a perfectly fitting way. Right from the track’s opening notes, Platt was dancing and sashaying around the stage, and the crowd was clapping and cheering. There was a palpable sense that we were sharing in a buoyant celebration of queer identity and a cheerful reframing of the narrative. In the brief bubble of this performance, there was no question that queer people belong in any space and are just as American as anyone else. It was special to be in an audience with this shared understanding.
Some aspects of the performance of this song felt slightly overdone, however. For instance, it seemed like Platt was hitting dance moves that would be expected of the track’s protagonist, but which Platt himself wouldn’t naturally perform. Other features, on the other hand, such as the rainbow lights that filled the stage at the end of the number, were gaudy in a way that fit the spirit of the performance.
Lighter songs about love
After following “All American Queen” with a couple songs about his less-than-satisfactory experiences with crushes and dating in middle and high school, when he was one of a small number of openly gay guys in his grade, Platt transitioned to some lighter songs about love. Most of these were from his debut album, Sing to Me Instead.
The first of this group, the pop song “RAIN,” was not my favorite. Platt sang the chorus in a way that felt too harsh and almost out-of-breath. This stood in contrast to the graceful, textured way he sang other numbers. Further, Platt’s dance moves in “RAIN” were jerky, making them feel harsh as well.
The next several songs from this group, on the other hand, were special to watch. Platt knew that “Share Your Address” would hype up the crowd, so he got everyone on their feet, singing along. The song, which is about catching strong feelings early on in a relationship, had a fun energy that bordered on silly commiseration about the experience it describes, as many joke that this experience is common in queer relationships. This audience participation continued in a much softer, sweeter manner in the next number, “Ease My Mind.” After some impressively detailed vocals and beautiful harmonizing from background vocalist Shaunice Alexander, Platt turned the singing over to the audience. “Ease My Mind” is about the calming nature of a loving partner, and hearing hundreds of people sing softly about such a gentle topic was a soothing experience, like the song itself describes.
The next number in this group, “Grow as We Go,” made fairly good use of a stage setup that was otherwise underwhelming. Platt invited Alexander and the band members to join him around the “campfire” for this ballad. They perched on the steps on the edges of a yellow circle created by spotlights, mimicking the intimacy and warmth of singing around a campsite.
In contrast to “Grow as We Go,” most other numbers simply treated the stage as a place to perform, and I was disappointed with the lack of creativity. The set was, at its core, stairs, spotlights, and a circle of light projected on the wall behind Platt. Though the spotlights and circle changed colors to fit the vibe or content of different songs, I thought the lighting was not very interesting. I wished that the spotlights had created designs on the stage, moved around, and shone outwards towards the audience more often; in my (limited) concert experience, this draws the audience in and adds an extra layer of art and meaning to each song in a way that can only be experienced live.
Covering up
After this group of lighter love songs, Platt moved to the penultimate section of the concert, which was largely comprised of covers. I wished that more of Platt’s own songs—especially more from Honeymind—had followed the covers to better round out the setlist. I was especially disappointed that Platt didn’t perform the album’s titular track; “Honeymind” is a lyrical, love-filled ballad that I enjoyed listening to on Spotify before the concert. That all being said, it was a treat to witness Platt’s take on other artists’ songs, especially given the intricate vocals the singer has developed through years of performing musical theater.
During one of these covers, James Taylor’s “Your Smiling Face,” Platt let the band take center stage. I especially loved the dynamic solo by guitarist Nir Felder, and I wished the band had had more moments like these in Platt’s own songs.
The second-to-last song in Platt’s setlist was an impressive cover of “Maybe This Time” from the musical Cabaret. The audience, which was certainly made up of fans of Platt’s musical theater work as well as of his solo albums, had a lot of fun with this performance—as did Platt himself. The actor donned a long, feathered white jacket before launching into the number, and thanked the audience for “supporting his delusion.”
Platt tied his musical theater roots to his songwriting and his life when he shared the significance of “Before I Knew You,” his final song besides the encore. In theater, Platt said, only the feelings that are so big that they need to be conveyed through music are turned into songs. That same concept applies to Honeymind, he explained.
“For the last few years of my life, many of the things that I feel are that way [feelings big enough to be sung] are thanks to being around a person as special as Noah, and so I write a lot of love songs,” Platt said.
“Before I Knew You” is Platt’s favorite of those love songs, and he thanked the audience for letting him finish with his favorite.
I loved that Platt performed this song last. As I mentioned before, Platt’s setlist brought the audience on a semi-chronological journey through his own experiences with queer love and identity. What could be more fitting, then, than ending with a gorgeous number about Platt loving his fiancé all throughout his life—before even meeting him—and continuing to love him forever?
Platt performed this final song sitting down on a chair center stage. Because of his lack of physical movement, all attention was on the content of the number and the pure love and emotion in Platt’s voice. The combination of Platt’s singing and the gentle instrumentals sounded like heartstrings soaring. It was the perfect finale to an already love-filled performance.
