Charlie Puth opened his ‘Whatever's Clever' world tour in San Diego as an ardent arts advocate

Fresh from his acclaimed, admirably bombast-free Feb. 8 Super Bowl performance of the national anthem, Charlie Puth was a musician on a mission Wednesday night when he opened his 2026 “Whatever’s Clever!” world tour at San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena. Or, to be more precise, a man on two missions.

The first was to promote his fourth and newest album. Its title is mirrored by the name of Puth’s just-launched “Whatever’s Clever!” tour. The extended concert trek, which next stops in Phoenix on Friday, will visit 22 countries before concluding in mid-November in Australia.

“I’m excited to be here with all of you tonight. I’ve wanted to do a tour like this for a long time,” the 34-year-old singer, songwriter and keyboardist said before performing “LA Girls,” his fourth selection of the evening.

He was referring to the scale and scope of his most extensive and ambitious tour to date. It features him leading a talent-rich two-woman, five-man band on a spare, clutter-free stage that featured a triangular LED screen at the rear to complement the screens at the left and the right.

Puth’s crowd-pleasing two-hour, 19-song set featured no fewer than eight selections from his “Whatever’s Clever!” album. That qualifies as a bold move in an era when legendary and up-and-coming artists alike often hesitate to perform even one or two songs from their latest albums - the better to avoid an exodus of attendees making a beeline for refreshments, restrooms or the merch booths.

But Puth had more on his mind than simply promoting his new album and playing such sleek audience favorites as “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “Cheating On You,” Patient” and “See You Again,” the chart-topping 2015 hit that teamed him with rapper Wiz Khalifa and propelled the then-23-year-old Puth to stardom.

Specifically, he wanted to advocate for the importance of creativity and art, and Puth did so several times during the concert.

“I want you to go home and write that song, paint that picture, ignore the noise and make your art,” he said early on, a sentiment he repeated - word-for-word - later in the evening.

Shortly before the end of the concert, Puth lamented the lack of national support and funding for the arts “in this great land of ours.”

It was the closest he came to making a political statement. But Puth’s words took on an even greater resonance coming just a few days after San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposal to slash the city’s arts funding from $13.8 million to $2 million, a draconian cut that could have a devastating impact.

Puth is himself a graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music and an avowed jazz fan. He projects a wholesome image on stage and in his affectation-free songs. He seamlessly mixes elements of pop, R&B, gospel and more into songs that are unabashedly influenced by the work of Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Sting, Babyface, Jackson Browne and two artists who guest on “Whatever’s Clever” - Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. The fact that Puth has described his new album as “yacht rock 2026” underscores his allegiance to an era that predates his birth in 1991 by more than a decade.

His devotion to that time and to its artistic sensibilities makes him something of an anomaly in an age of Auto-Tuned vocals, computerized beats and fleeting, TikTok length musical snippets that pass as songs. That made the length of some of Puth’s selections Wednesday seem almost subversive at times.

“How Long,” his peppy opening, number clocked in at six minutes. The slow-jam-inspired “Sideways” was nine minutes, while “Suffer,” was even longer. So was “See You Again,” the heartfelt ballad that provided the concert’s emotional and musical highpoint.

Moreover, Puth played several keyboard solos that lasted two minutes or longer, including in two of his first three selections. Doing so at a mainstream pop concert for a largely young audience seemed almost subversive. Ditto the sophisticated modulations and subtle rhythmic shifts that underpin Puth’s best songs.

While he is not a naturally charismatic front man, Puth is effective precisely because he doesn’t dance or showboat. His voice and his music are unfailingly tasteful and pleasant, which is a key part of both his appeal and limitations. His silky ballads are uniformly thoughtful and well-constructed, but lack the pathos that would give them greater depth and dimension. The blues-drenched “Suffer” allowed him to emote in a way that most of his other songs did not, and he rose to the occasion on Wednesday.

Puth’s strongest vocal attribute is his supple falsetto, which drew repeated cheers from the crowd. Yet, while he basked in the audience’s applause, he seemed just as happy being one of the guys in the band, especially when Jaden Blakely Gray - one of his three backing singers - stepped to the fore and belted with electrifying power and soulfulness.

The mix of songs from Puth’s new and previous three albums was generally well-paced. He praised his talented band, but failed to introduce its members, which included such standouts as drummer Cedric “CJ” Thompson, guitarist Jan Ozveren and singers Gray, Lorea Turner and he lone-named Liiv. That gaffe that will likely be corrected by the time the tour gets to Phoenix on Friday for its second date.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 6:11 PM.