If there was any doubt about Benson Boone’s fast-rising star power, his American Heart Tour stop before a roaring, nearly sold-out crowd on Wednesday night, Aug. 27, at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena put it to rest.

The crowd was mostly young, glittering with sequins, cowboy hats, American flag t-shirts, an ocean of red heart-bearing accessories and more than a few mullets. The energy was bright and youthful, perfectly matching the ambitious spectacle Boone presented onstage.

The nearly two-hour show opened with “I Wanna Be The One You Call” and continued over the course of five “acts” and 20 songs, mostly drawn from his studio albums “Fireworks & Rollerblades” and the two-month-old “American Heart. The 23-year-old Boone commanded the vaguely guitar-shaped stage, its long runway stretching into the arena floor like a fretboard, leading to a heart-shaped B-stage where he spent much of the night. Sometimes his piano was lifted by hydraulics, while during “Mystical Magical” Boone soared above the crowd on a chandelier and red and white hearts burst from confetti cannon during “Young American Heart”

Boone’s 70s-inspired wardrobe gave the night a playful, nostalgic edge. One tight white ensemble was anchored by a sleeveless tee with a bedazzled Firebird and a red heart belt buckle. And the powder-blue suit and open white shirt he wore during the encore of “Cry” was so retro that Tony Orlando himself might have claimed it. The look matched Boone’s mix of sincerity and showmanship, half heart-on-sleeve balladeer and half daring stuntman.

Indeed, he was as much an athlete as a vocalist. He nailed six flips — front, back and a very cool side combo number — and multiple leaps off the piano. He even hopped into the crowd on two different occasions, the last one including a lap around the entire stage, running a gauntlet of fans almost like a victory lap following the final song of the main set, the 2024 Tik Tok sensation “Beautiful Things.” The four-piece backing band — bass, drums, keyboards and guitar — sometimes overpowered the mix, but Boone’s voice was piercing, powerful and capable of some serious high notes.

There were quieter moments, too. “Momma Song,” paired with a home video montage, drew collective sniffles, while Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone to Love” — a cover chosen by using a cannon to send a T-shirt into the crowd for a random fan to decide — displayed Boone’s versatility. He promised each city a different cover, and Detroit got its own keepsake.

Between songs, Boone was chatty, playful and self-aware, joking that he worried about how many fans were watching his backside as he spun across the 360-degree stage. He called “Wanted Man,” “In the Stars” and “Reminds Me of You” his “favorites” but left fans free to choose their own. The giant video screen backdrop cycled through Partridge Family-style cartoon graphics, swirls of stars and close-ups of an earnest Boone performing.

The American Heart Tour is ambitious big, and occasionally teetering on excess, but Boone’s commitment and charisma held it together. Detroit got a show that was equal parts spectacle and soul, flips and fireworks, sequins and swagger. If Boone is still worried about who’s looking at his backside, he needn’t be; the crowd was too busy looking at the front of the stage, and the star rising on it.

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