Beyond Natick: Ben Platt sings about love and queer identity at the Wang Theater in Boston

June 25, 2024

Singer and actor Ben Platt started the tour for his new album last week, Honey Spiritin an entertaining and lyrical performance at the Wang Theatre in Boston.

From the danceable “All American Queen” to the tender “Before I Knew You”, Honey Spirit unabashedly and lovingly centers the queer experience. This normalization of LGBTQ+ identities and love is made even more powerful by the album’s folk and Americana-inspired sound; homophobic and transphobic rhetoric wants us to believe that queerness is incompatible with the “true and tried, stars and stripes” ideal that Platt sings about. While most aspects of the concert were pretty good, but won’t stick in my memory, this celebration of queerness was the “cherry on top” (another Honey Spirit Track) to the talent and emotion that characterized Platt’s performance.

Before turning to releasing solo music, Platt rose to fame through his role as protagonist Evan Hansen in the original cast of the musical Dear Evan Hansen in 2015. The 30-year-old also has experience as an actor Pitch perfect And The politician.

Platt signed with Atlantic Records in 2017; then he released his first album, Sing for me insteadin 2019 and his second album, Daydreamingin 2021. His latest album, Honey Spiritwas released on May 31st. Songs from this album make up the majority of Platt’s current tour.

The singer told the audience that a large part Honey Spirit is inspired by and dedicated to his fiancé, fellow actor and singer Noah Galvin. This would have been clear even without him saying it: Platt’s love for his future husband filled – and enhanced – his performance.

Platt’s setlist took listeners through his experiences as a queer kid, from the unrequited crush on a straight boy detailed in “Andrew” to the initial thrill of dating in “Share Your Address” to the deep, everlasting love that permeates “Before I Knew You.” Before getting into some of the harder aspects of queer childhood, however, Platt followed up his opening track, “Right Kind of Reckless,” with “All American Queen,” one of my personal favorites.

When I listened to “All American Queen” online before the concert, I liked it, but I had some reservations. The lyrics describe a boy who embodies many gay stereotypes, such as a love of the color pink and a desire to be a cheerleader. In other words, the song’s protagonist would have unfortunately been subjected to homophobic bullying in almost every school during his childhood. To counteract this, the song portrays its protagonist as universally popular and all-American—and his stereotypical gay traits are a major reason why he is viewed that way. Before seeing the song live, I thought this was a nice escapist act, but over the top; it seemed obvious that the song was about queer joy as the opposite of homophobic bullying, not pure queer joy.

The live performance, however, was what won me over. On stage, All American Queen was aptly aware of its gaudy nature. From the very first notes of the piece, Platt danced and strutted across the stage, and the audience clapped and cheered. It was palpable that we were participating in a boisterous celebration of queer identity and a joyful reinterpretation of history. In the brief bubble of this performance, there was no question that queer people belong everywhere and are just as American as anyone else. It was special to be in an audience with this shared understanding.

However, some aspects of the performance of this song seemed a bit over the top. For example, it seemed as though Platt was doing dance moves that one would expect the song’s protagonist to do, but that Platt himself would not do on his own. However, other elements, such as the rainbow lights that filled the stage at the end of the number, were bright in a way that fit the spirit of the performance.

Lighter songs about love

After following “All American Queen” with a few songs about his less than satisfactory experiences with crushes and dating in middle and high school when he was one of the few openly gay boys in his class, Platt moved on to some lighter songs about love. Most of them were from his debut album, Sing for me instead.

The first song by this group, the pop song “RAIN,” was not my favorite. Platt sang the chorus in a way that sounded too harsh and almost out of breath. This was in contrast to the graceful, structured way he sang other songs. Additionally, Platt’s dance moves in “RAIN” were jerky, which also made them seem harsh.

The next few songs from this group were special, however. Platt knew that “Share Your Address” would get the crowd pumped up, so he got everyone to stand and sing along. The song, which is about developing strong feelings at the beginning of a relationship, had a fun energy that bordered on silly pity for the experience described, as many joke that this experience is common in queer relationships. This crowd participation continued in a much softer, sweeter way in the next number, “Ease My Mind.” After some impressively detailed vocals and beautiful harmonies from backup singer Shaunice Alexander, Platt turned the singing over to the audience. “Ease My Mind” is about the soothing nature of a loving partner, and listening to hundreds of people sing softly about such a gentle topic was a soothing experience, as the song itself describes.

The group’s next number, “Grow as We Go,” made good use of the stage set, which was otherwise rather disappointing. Platt invited Alexander and the band members to join him at the “campfire” for this ballad. They sat on the steps at the edges of a yellow circle created by spotlights, mimicking the intimacy and warmth of singing at a campsite.

Unlike “Grow as We Go,” most of the other numbers treated the stage simply as a place to perform, and I was disappointed by the lack of creativity. The set was essentially stairs, spotlights, and a circle of light projected onto the wall behind Platt. Although the spotlights and circle changed color to match the mood or content of the different songs, I didn’t find the lighting very interesting. I wish the spotlights created patterns on the stage, moved, and shone outward toward the audience more often; in my (limited) concert experience, this draws the audience in and gives each song an extra level of artistry and meaning that can only be experienced live.

Cover up

After this group of lighter love songs, Platt moved on to the penultimate part of the concert, which consisted mostly of cover versions. I wish there were more of Platt’s own songs – especially more of Honey Spirit—had stuck to the covers to better round out the setlist. I was particularly disappointed that Platt didn’t play the album’s title track; “Honeymind” is a lyrical, loving ballad that I enjoyed listening to on Spotify before the concert. Still, it was a treat to experience Platt’s interpretation of other artists’ songs, especially given the complex vocals the singer has developed over years of working in musical theater.

On one of these covers, James Taylor’s “Your Smiling Face,” Platt let the band take center stage. I especially enjoyed guitarist Nir Felder’s dynamic solo and wish the band had included more of these moments in Platt’s own songs.

The penultimate song in Platts setlist was an impressive cover of “Maybe This Time” from the musical cabaret. The audience, no doubt made up of fans of Platt’s musical theater works and his solo albums, enjoyed the performance – as did Platt himself. The actor donned a long white jacket decorated with feathers before beginning the number and thanked the audience for “supporting his madness.”

Platt connected his roots in musical theater with his songwriting and his life when he shared the meaning 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. The same concept applies to Honey Spirithe explained.

“Many of the things I’ve felt in the last few years of my life (feelings big enough to be sung) are because of being around someone as special as Noah, and that’s why I’ve written a lot of love songs,” Platt said.

“Before I Knew You” is Platt’s favorite love song and he thanked the audience for letting him finish with his favorite song.

I loved that Platt performed this song last. As I mentioned, Platt’s setlist took the audience on a semi-chronological journey through his own experiences with queer love and identity, so what could be more fitting than ending with a beautiful number about how Platt loved his fiancé his entire life—before he even met him—and loved him forever?

Platt performed this final song sitting on a chair in the middle of the stage. Since he barely moved physically, all the attention was on the content of the song and the pure love and emotion in Platt’s voice. The combination of Platt’s singing and the gentle instrumental accompaniment sounded like hearts trembling. It was the perfect finale to a performance already filled with love.