Back in March, American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin announced on social media that he would be going on tour. Benjamin was set to go on tour back in 2020, but it was quickly cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This tour is highlighting his new album “(Un)Commentary,” which was released on April 15. 

Benjamin started his tour in the beginning of April, and performed in Oklahoma City at the Diamond Ballroom on Thursday, April 28. The concert started with Benjamin’s opener, Sara Kays, performing six of her newer songs. Kays is a newly emerging pop artist and has been a long time fan of Benjamin. Some of the songs from her set included: “Math,” “Backseat Rider” and “Home for the Summer.”

Each one of Kay’s songs holds a personal meaning to her, which is something I greatly admire. She’s not afraid to step into the light and bring awareness to some of today’s societal issues, such as mental health and body image. Even though she is a newfound artist, Kay stole the attention of the crowd and blew us all away with her amazing vocals. 

After Kay’s outstanding performance, it was time for Benjamin to take the stage. The crowd was filled with excitement and anticipation as he stepped onto the stage to start with his first song of the night. “Older,” which is one of the songs off Benjamin’s new album, began his phenomenal set. Six of the songs that were performed came from his new album. My favorites that he featured off the album were “Dopamine Addict,” “Devil Doesn’t Bargain” and “Shadow of Mine” which flawlessly highlighted the album, without making it the sole focus.

Although the album was only released two weeks ago, Benjamin perfectly balanced the amount of both new and old songs that were performed. He played two of his biggest hits, “Water Fountain” and “Let Me Down Slowly.” These two songs are what gave him his rise to fame through the social media platform TikTok and are some of his more popular songs. 

 He performed 11 of his older hits altogether, which I personally enjoyed as he wasn’t narrowing his set down to just new releases. Some of these songs were: “Death of a Hero,”“Mind is a Prison” and “Boy in the Bubble.”

I was ecstatic when Benjamin performed a few of my personal favorites, which were “Must Have Been The Wind,” “Jesus in LA” and “If I Killed Someone For You.” He pours his heart into every song he creates and even mentioned during the concert that he has never been able to write about something that wasn’t true. Every song Benjamin has written is tied to a personal story about him and his life.

With his performance being at a smaller venue, I didn’t have high expectations for the visual aspects of the show. However, I was proved wrong when a majority of Benjamin’s songs featured spectacular lights, fog machines and show lasers. These lights perfectly highlighted his more upbeat songs by having a light showcase go along with the intensity of the songs.

Since his career take-off back in 2018, Benjamin has quickly amassed over one billion views on Spotify. He has come a long way since “Narrated For You,” which was his very first album. His fan base continues to grow every day and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

Benjamin had a phenomenal performance in OKC with an amazing set, outstanding visuals and a wonderful crowd. His U.S. tour will wrap up during the middle of May and his European and UK tour will take off near the end of June.

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