Taking Stock of Beautiful Things
Friday 6th November 2026
Written by Tom Wilson
Photographed by: Andrew Treadwell - Hear 2 Zen Magazine
Despite my best efforts, my daughter is not a metalhead, but over the last few years I’ve got to watch her music taste develop, and one song that we both bonded over was Beautiful Things by American pop singer BENSON BOONE. A soaring ode to gratitude, and the anxieties and vulnerabilities that come with having precious things in your life, it hit me like a truck, and has been belted out dozens of times during school run karaoke. Sense has made its name in heavy music, but we’re no strangers to pop – our 2021 album of the year was AMY SHARK’s Cry Forever – so when Benson’s name popped up in my inbox to announce the Australian leg of the Wanted Man tour, I knew I had the perfect opportunity to absolutely crush being a dad and make my daughter’s first concert something truly memorable. So, on a Friday night in Boondall, I sat down next to one of the Beautiful Things in my life, and got to watch the making of a core memory in real time.
Opening tonight is Sydney crooner RUEL, and my daughter gets an education in state-of-the-art contemporary pop. Backed by a live band, he quickly has the fans on the barrier swooning, and if his voice doesn’t dazzle you, his work ethic certainly will. “I put out two albums in the last year. I’ve actually been a very busy boy myself. This next one is one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever written. It’s a song called Destroyer.” It’s a stunning track, and the crowd hangs on every note of the melody. During RUEL’s set, we can’t help but notice someone dressed as The Lorax near the barrier, as his suit is made of orange hi-vis and could probably be seen from space. Remember that for later.
“We’ll pick the energy up a little,” RUEL shouts. “I want to hype you guys up for Benson!” He kicks off a single from his last record, Don’t Say That, and the crowd cheers. Gliding around the stage with dance moves that flow like water, he keeps close to his band assembled at the base of the sloping stage backdrop, and doesn’t venture too far down the catwalk. As the song closes, he asks how loud we can get for Benson, and counts us in before the whole B.E.C. let loose a deafening cheer. “I like doing this. As a support act, you get to soak in all the cheers, all the applause. I can soak it all in and it’s not even for me. I’m going to steal it off Benson and take it for myself.” Gosh, that sounds a bit … CRUEL. (I’ll show myself out)
We go for a quick merch run during the changeover, and after an agonising wait, the lights of the arena go down, and the crowd roars. We open with a Star Wars-style opening text crawl on the projector screen, but I couldn’t even begin to tell you what it says. Why? Because I’m not watching the screen. I’m way too busy watching my daughter gaping wide-eyed at the stage as the excitement builds, before Benson finally appears at the very top of the sloping backdrop, and she loses her mind. This is the real show for me tonight – Benson was just nice enough to put it on for me – and as my dad vitamin levels skyrocket the Brisbane Entertainment Centre cheers along to Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else. The closest thing we currently have to seeing Freddie Mercury, Benson is a staggering talent, and he glides up and down the stage sending his honey-voiced melodies into the rafters. We’re teased with the opening of Mystical Magical, but Benson is going to make us work for it, and the whole arena sings the first verse acapella. He’s suitably impressed, and we’re treated to a spectacular display of falsetto vocals and flawless pop writing. We were promised backflips on the tour poster, and Benson does not disappoint, showcasing some jaw-dropping acrobatics doing standing front and back flips, and at one point is suspended from a basket and carried out over the cheering crowd.
Benson jokes that he’s a lot less recognisable in Australia because of how many moustaches are getting around these days, and in a moment of perfect timing, The Lorax on the barrier fills the projector screen behind Benson, showing off his massive orange soup-strainers. Benson gleefully points him out to the crowd (as if anyone could miss him) and makes a wisecrack that he was originally going to chop a tree down onstage until he saw him and thought better of it. Throughout the whole performance, he has the audience in the palm of his hand, and isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself, which he needs to when he starts singing the wrong lyrics while sitting at a piano.
It’s one thing for a wealthy good-looking bloke to say that he’s grateful when onstage surrounded by thousands of screaming fans, but we get a different perspective on Beautiful Things when Benson brings out a special guest at the end of the show. We are introduced to Kenzie, a young girl who has is currently in her second battle with cancer. Tonight is her 13th birthday, and after a social media campaign caught the attention of tour promoters, she is brought out onstage, helped along by one of her supporters. She is only a year older than my daughter sat beside me, and has been dealing with every parent’s nightmare, so I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I bawled like a baby as she joined Benson in singing her favourite song. As it comes to a close, the band continue the melody as he takes a victory lap around the arena floor, sharing the buzz with the fans reaching out over the barrier. Then, he comes back onstage and sprints up the sloping stage before leaping off the peak, curling into a backflip, and dropping out of sight. Just like that, he’s gone, and we’re left wiping away happy tears as we file out of the arena. An absolutely spectacular night from a truly remarkable performer.
