After a day of heavy rain, the skies cleared just in time for Charlie Puth’s “Whatever’s Clever” tour stop on June 9 at Ascend Amphitheater. It was my first time at the outdoor venue, and between the warm summer air, walkable layout, and orange-pink sunset over the lawn, I quickly noted it as one of my favorite Nashville concert settings. Fans stretched out on blankets and lawn chairs as they bustled and mingled along the walkable space. From the merch stand in one corner to the concessions on the other, the energy was palpable.  

Ally Salort began the evening at 7:30 p.m., taking the stage in an asymmetrical black lace outfit and red boots. Backed by a guitarist and drummer, she immediately carried herself with steady confidence, slowly strutting from one side of the stage to the other while expressively using her hands throughout the set. 

Salort’s voice was strikingly clear, especially on moments that leaned into the emotional, lyric-forward side of her pop sound. She introduced “Proof,” a new song she said she has only performed live a few times, and included the aching lyric, “You had to see me with somebody new to see that I was something to you / Why do you need proof?” She also covered “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, twisting it with her own emotional delivery. By the end of her set, Salort thanked her band, waved goodbye and closed with “I’ve Never Met Her,” leaving the stage with a sweetness that matched the early-evening calm of the venue. 

The second opener, the band Lawrence, shifted the night into full-color spectacle. A seemingly endless line of men in matching brown suits walked onto the stage before Gracie and Clyde Lawrence joined them, making the entrance feel straight out of a Charlie Chaplin film, as my grandma would say. With no drawn-out introduction, the band immediately launched into music with Clyde on keys at the front of the stage and Gracie to his left, dancing with a microphone in hand. 

Lawrence, led by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence, is an eight-piece soul-pop band from New York City known for its keyboard-driven sound, bright horns and powerful vocals. The group’s 2024 album “Family Business” earned major momentum, and their song “Something In The Water” earned a 2026 Grammy nomination, as Clyde Lawrence mentioned.  

The siblings also spent a considerable amount of time on Broadway stages — and not the Nashville kind. That background made immediate sense in person, as this duo was truly born to perform. Their set was feel-good, soulful and theatrical. During one song, Clyde Lawrence broke into an insane keyboard solo, adjusting the sound settings with one hand as the other moved across the keys at what felt like impossible speed. 

Their personalities were just as memorable as their talent. Gracie Lawrence brought quirky facial expressions and sharp comedic timing, at one point leading the audience through a vocal moment before quickly cutting everyone off. 

“Great, I’m [going to] sing the song now, so shush,” she said. 

At one point during Lawrence’s set, a girl across the aisle shrugged and handed me a bag of blue papers to pass along. I had seen fan projects happen before, but participating and watching one form in real time was different — the papers moved through the crowd in a wave of confusion, shrugs and immediate cooperation. It reminded me how easily a crowd can come together and crave community, making me even more excited for my favorite Puth song, “One Call Away.” 

During “Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me,” Clyde sang under a white spotlight before the band moved into one of the most theatrical and impressive tricks: A guitarist wrapped his arms around Clyde and continued to play, while a trumpet player did the same behind him, creating a tangled musical phenomenon. 

Before launching into a soulful rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” Clyde jokingly commented on his surroundings. 

“The sun is starting to set,” Clyde Lawrence said. “I think it’s the perfect time to play a Britney Spears song.” 

Green lighting flooded the stage as the band transformed the pop hit into something groovy. They later ended with such force that Gracie theatrically melted to the floor mid-belt before hopping back up to clap with the audience. By the time Lawrence left the stage, the amphitheater was fully awake. 

At 9 p.m., the crowd erupted as three vocalists appeared onstage, hyping the crowd as words flashed across the screen and introduced the “Whatever’s Clever” tour. Then, Puth appeared seemingly out of nowhere at a white, sparkling piano, wearing a blue hat, white button-up and red tie. 

He opened with “Beat Yourself Up” and “How Long” as cloud visuals filled the triangular screen and backdrops, making the band look as if they were floating. The bass hit hard enough to feel like it was vibrating through the nearby apartments — I wonder how anyone downtown fell asleep. 

From the beginning, Puth leaned into the significance of being back in Nashville. He recalled staying at the Best Western hotel years ago and walking around Music City looking for a Pizza Hut and a publishing deal. He also shared that he had recently canceled a show in Florida after losing his voice and was grateful it returned that morning. 

“Being back here reminds me of the grind,” Puth said. “I feel very fortunate being on stage with all of you right now.” 

That appreciation became one of the emotional threads of the night. Before performing one of his older songs, Puth paused to reflect on how music can preserve a former version of yourself. 

“A song you wrote 10 years ago reminds you of the person you used to be,” Puth said. 

That sentiment carried into songs like “Empty Cups,” which used what I thought was one of the most fascinating visuals of the show. A giant image of the top half of Puth’s face appeared on the screen behind him before his forehead opened like a lid, releasing animated instruments. It was a theatrical, strange and fitting embodiment of his musical genius. 

One of the night’s most special turns came when Puth paused for “story time,” explaining that he wanted to honor country music, which has deeply inspired his craft. He described doomscrolling on TikTok when he came across a young artist’s original song. The artist, Kenny Whitmire, had written in the comments that he did not have enough money for a producer, so Puth decided to produce it himself just so Whitmire could hear his full potential. Months later, Whitmire signed with MCA Records. Puth then brought him onstage to perform “I Gave Her the Moon.” My friend beside me already knew the lyrics, and Puth was right — the crowd loved it.

Puth continued showing his range with a song he described as being about how, as a man, it is okay to show emotion. He said he would love for his son to hear it one day before moving into “Cry.” Later, the stage transformed into a radio display with AM and FM visuals for “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” which he called “the healing arrangement.” Red lights, mist and soft lasers filled the stage as he added an R&B twist, playing organ notes, scattingand leading the audience through vocal runs. 

Then came “Attention,” one of the night’s biggest singalongs, with the crowd shouting every word in a wave of nostalgia and excitement, myself included. 

The night’s surprises continued when Puth introduced “a country legend” he said he had been listening to since he was 8 years old. Lee Ann Womack walked out in a sparkling pink midi dress, looking stunning and timeless, before joining him for “I Hope You Dance.” Their voices blended beautifully, and my musically trained friend beside me noted how impressively Puth matched her octave. 

Another standout came when Jaden B. Gray, one of Puth’s vocalists, stepped forward for “Cheating on You.” The performance turned into a back-and-forth riff-off between Gray and Puth, building into a wave of groovy vocalizations. 

Puth’s love for music as a craft became one of the clearest themes of the night. Before another song, he offered encouragement to songwriters and artists who feel discouraged by the state of the industry. 

“Any songwriter or artist out there who is sometimes discouraged by the state of the music industry, I want you to keep putting what’s in your head and make it into art because you never know,” Puth said. 

For one last surprise, he brought out Vince Gill. Together, they sang “I Still Believe in You,” marking another deeply Nashville-specific moment. 

The fan project finally came together during “One Call Away,” when the blue papers from earlier lifted across the crowd as phone lights glowed white around them. Even those who had not received papers swayed along, turning the amphitheater into a soft sea of blue and white. Puth followed this tender moment with “See You Again,” before ending the night with “Changes.” 

Puth spent much of the evening thanking the crowd, but the gratitude felt mutual. His constant surprises displayed something deeper than his own star power: an honorable instinct to raise the voices of those still rising and those who came before him. He is not only a gifted vocalist, pianist and producer, but a true music lover and advocate. At Ascend Amphitheater, Puth reminded the crowd that music is not just something to perform, butsomething to preserve. After all, as he said himself, “We need to make art, ladies and gentlemen. That’s how the world turns.”