There was no “Marvin Gaye and get it on” going on at Charlie Puth’s show at the Bowl last weekend — in fact it was one of the more family friendly shows I’ve been to in a long time — but it was a fun evening under the stars from a talented, eager-to-please pop star who did just that.
Puth and his wife Brooke are new parents and own a house in Montecito (hence some well-timed name drops for Bettina, Pierre Lafond, and other local spots) and he was clearly stoked to be performing in his home town, where he played two keyboards and was bandleader to a trio of strong singers, two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. This stop was part of his “Whatever’s Clever!” album tour and other than the missing “Marvin Gaye” (a 2016 hit duet with Meghan Trainor), they played the bulk of the hits that fans would hope for as well as a good serving of songs from the new release.
He kicked off the night with “Beat Yourself Up,” from the new album, followed by “How Long” from his second studio album Voicenotes (2018), then another new one, “Washed Up.” “This is a very special show to me,” he said, admiring the Bowl’s 360-degree views. “We live in a pretty amazing place.”