Grammy-nominated artist Benson Boone brought his booming vocals and breathtaking backflips to Brevard County for an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime concert.
The 23-year-old performed for one hour Nov. 29th in the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center, a venue normally closed in the evening. Following a dramatic countdown, Benson took the stage at exactly 9:15 p.m. with a backdrop of rockets from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo eras. He spent the next hour belting out his chart-toppers including “Mystical Magical” and “Slow it Down” to a crowd of 3,500.
Those in attendance were among 9,000 Florida residents who entered a lottery to witness the live show, which was part of Visa Live, a global music experience series designed to unite fans and artists in iconic locations. Over the summer, The Visa Live tour made a stop in Paris as superstar Post Malone headlined “Visa Live at le Louvre.”
Dressed in a sleeveless jumpsuit with a faux-fur collar and sequenced belt, Boone closed the show with his chart-topper “Beautiful Things.” As his band played out the final song and fireworks filled the sky, Boone surprised the crowd by jumping off the stage and greeting fans in the front few rows who were held back by a chest-high barrier.
“Thank you so much NASA. Thank you so much Visa for having us out today,” Boon said to the cheering fans. “What a beautiful stage and what a beautiful crowd.”
Earlier in the show, audience members started yelling for Boone to perform one of his signature flips. He gladly obliged and continued to wow the crowd throughout the show with numerous flips, including a few off his sparkly piano.
Before he took the stage, DJ Pee Wee warmed up the crowd mixing a variety of a popular songs ranging various genres. The show was livestreamed on TikTok.
How was the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex selected as the site of the Benson Boone concert?
Visa Live is all about iconic locations and electrifying musical artists, according to Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer for Visa, who said the Rocket Garden and Boone were a perfect pairing for Visa Live’s first U.S. showing.
The intent is to find a venue bigger, more meaningful than an open field or a large stadium.
“What’s bigger than space exploration? All the crewed missions coming out of the United States happen right here,” Cooper told the USA Today Network shortly before Boone took the stage. “That idea of technology, looking to the future, working together, exploring the unknown, it’s all here.”
Add in the fact that no one had ever done a concert in the Rocket Garden before, Cooper referred to as “magic.” It also was a huge bonus that Boone himself is a fan of NASA.
“Benson Boone actually really loves space,” Cooper said. “He loves this idea of space travel and United States having this history of first traveling to the moon and then beyond.”
Cooper added beside Boone’s love of space, he also was selected as the artist because of his electrifying performance and commanding presence over the crowd.
“Performing live is an art and a craft, and there are few artists who actually know how to work a stage, create the energy, create a bond with the audience, put on a full performance that is actually a story over the course of the full set,” Cooper said. “Benson Boone had all of those things. We felt Benson Boone would be electric in this environment and be fitting for the setting.”
Where, when is the next Visa Live concert?
Cooper stopped short of calling Visa Live a tour, instead referring to it as an idea.
He said the hope is to have these shows at least once a year. The next show is “100%” already being planned.
There is a short list of venues where the next performance will be. However, that short list is not ready to be made public. However, Cooper did say it will likely not be in the United States.
The artist has not yet been selected. Wherever and whenever the next show takes place, Boone and his performance at Kennedy Space Center set the bar pretty high.
“I look at the energy in the crowd, I look at the rockets in the rocket garden, I look at the stage setting and I think we got this one right,” Cooper said.
Spitzer is a Trending Reporter. She can be reached at MSpitzer@Floridatoday.com.
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