Charlie Puth 'Whatever's Clever' Korea 2026 Concert Review

After getting tickets and waiting half a year for it,

The Charlie Puth Concert‼️‼️

It was good.

It was good, and good, but

in my opinion, his visit to Korea in October 2023

was more satisfying,

so I'm going to share my 100% personal, genuine concert review,

covering both the highlights and the little disappointments.

I've always loved Charlie Puth,

and my impressions of concerts are extremely personal,

so no arguments, please!

My Review of Charlie Puth's 2023 Visit to Korea

whatever's Clever‼️

Charlie Puth's Visit to Korea in 2026

Charlie〰️〰️〰️〰️

The last concert started with 'Charlie, be quiet‼️',

and Charlie was constantly passing the mic around.

Half a year ago,

I bought a ~$185 ticket with such joy,

and waited half a year.

I kept wondering if Charlie would be disappointed that Seoul (Goyang)

wasn't sold out,

so I kept checking 'nolticket' to see which sections still had many seats,

and...

I really wanted to make his first stadium tour shine,

lol

(I'm not Charlie, by the way!)

Anyway, the week of the concert was filled with these kinds of thoughts.

I even booked a hotel near KINTEX,

so I arrived at Goyang Stadium early.

Gotta get those proof shots before the crowds arrive!

Otherwise, you might end up queuing just for a photo op.

Accommodation Super Close to KINTEX

Gloucester Hotel KINTEX​

🔗 Book Your Stay Here

Haha..

I don't usually take selfies,

but I must have been in a really good mood!

Buying Charlie Puth's 2026 Korea Tour Merchandise

​

You can buy merchandise at Sono Arena,

with general sales starting at 2 PM,

and VIP early access at 1 PM.

Remembering how I got early access for Coldplay, I was chuckling to myself,

wondering what to buy.

That red zip-up hoodie looks nice.

Is the T-shirt cringey? Or does it have the tour dates?

I was worrying about all this for nothing, though!

(Reason: sold out)

Who was I to worry about what to buy?

I didn't even consider the stock.

It was on my 'should I buy it or not' list, but

I safely went with the number 1 t-shirt.

While I was busy buying merch,

I even got a concert safety alert!

Fireworks! 🎆......

Quickly changed into my new merch,

and asked my sister to take a photo of me.

And just like that, my heart was absolutely pounding!

Is it the wall that's crooked,

or is it my heart..?

Even so, I, who rarely take photos of myself more than a few times a year,

didn't give up and kept asking her for photos.

Big Mama's singing - Resignation.

whatever's clever‼️

Asia Tour Begins!

Seoul

Manila

Tokyo

Taipei

Guangzhou

Hangzhou

Wuhan

Shanghai

Looks like a lot of dates in China..

I'm not sure why we took a commemorative photo in a Daiso mirror,

but I sent the sister shot to Mom anyway.

Our traces still remain in Goyang,,

Jungkook's bus is still going strong!

Our concert was back in April 💜

Aren't we the main characters in Goyang City's economic revival..?

October 11, 2026 Charlie Puth Live in Korea

Setlist and E4 Section View

First off, I entered with Kookddugi (Jungkook doll)!

View from Section E4, Row 7, Seat 33

When it was a Coldplay 'cube' seat,

it was Section E4, Row 7, Seat 44.

I guess I really like E4...

This spot, by the way, was pretty much

the most expensive seat apart from the VIP section...

~$185

But even though it was on the right side,

it felt like an extreme corner seat...

Why, why, I wondered. Then I realized,

the stage felt like it was pulled forward.

The standing section people must have felt like they hit the jackpot,

and it was one of those moments where the ticket price just came to mind...

The concert was supposed to start at 7 PM,

but there was no screen,

and it was like people thought they were at a baseball game ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Even though it was clearly stated that outside food and drinks were prohibited,

people brought in huge bags of food,

causing delays during the bag check.

It was like experiencing a concert with 'muggles' again after a long time..

I wasn't trying to look, but

most people in the standing section were

filming Reels,

documenting 'myself enjoying the Charlie Puth concert',

there were so many 'challengers' doing this,

it made me feel really distracted....

And right before the concert started,

I saw a woman collapse and be carried out,

then return in a wheelchair, which worried me.

Overall, it was quite chaotic....

Charlie Puth Live in Korea 2026 Setlist

Here's the setlist in order, as I remember it:

1. Beat Yourself Up

2. How Long

3. LA Girls

4. Home

5. Cry

6. Dangerously

7. One Call Away

8. Done For Me

9. Marvin Gaye

10. Left and Right

11. We Don't Talk Anymore

12. Boy

13. Cheating on You

14. Attention

15. See You Again

16. Changes

When I go to concerts in Korea, most artists don't talk much

and focus mainly on the songs.

But Charlie kept talking, sharing his thoughts and feelings endlessly.

His emotions, and his undeniable love for Korea,

were so evident that it truly felt like my heart was filled with love.

whatever's Clever

An Honest Review of the Concert in Korea

(with a touch of disappointment)

The concert started about 10 minutes late,

and the opening wasn't Charlie,

but with the full band.

They say this was a big highlight of the tour,

but honestly, for me, it was a bit of a letdown...

The opening with "Seoul!"

With all the "ooooohs"

and "ooooohs" at the Korea-themed PPT,

my expectations were through the roof!

And since "Dangerously"

was included, which wasn't in other tours,

that was great too!

But what kind of people are we?

We are the people of group singing (sing-alongs)!

It was so incredibly quiet,

I even felt embarrassed....

I couldn't even bring myself to shout...

It felt more like a Charlie Puth listening session.

I don't know how it sounded to Charlie from the floor,

but it was so calm + silent...

The surprise moment when he moved to the extended stage –

he even went to the floor, signed autographs,

and unleashed a flood of cuteness – that's the behind-the-scenes scoop!

Left and Right

It's practically an unwritten rule that he HAS to sing this when he comes to Korea...

Some people were wondering if Jungkook might make an appearance,

and they were really hoping for it.

But our Jungkook is in Peru right now....

ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Charlie sang "Left and Right,"

gave a shout-out to BTS's Jungkook,

and even thanked any ARMYs who came.

He didn't sing it in other countries,

but he showed his loyalty by singing it for Korea.

"There's a surprise!" he said,

and the surprise was...

TWICE's Nayeon💞

I've seen him with Coldplay 5 times, so

this is already familiar,

but after Kook-bunny, now Nayeon?

Are you a collector of Korean bunnies, Charlie...?

I was so moved I almost teared up,

but his armpits were still drenched.

Time has passed, but his playful charm remains unchanged.

Was he tired from singing?

The chorus member

shouted "shubby-dubby" about 50 times...

You should try a McDonald's Shubby Burger!

The concert ended with "Changes" as the final song‼️

no fireworks, no encore...

He performed for about 1.5 hours and then it abruptly ended..

I knew he usually doesn't do encores,

but a concert with no lingering feeling

is a first for me, even after seeing Charlie perform multiple times.

ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I wish I had standing tickets...

Why Charlie Puth's Seoul Concert Left Me Wanting More

Honestly, these are just my truly personal disappointments...

Concert Review and Thoughts

1. Tickets remaining unsold right up until the show, and being traded below original price on secondhand apps like Karrot Market/Bunjang, led to a drop in anticipation and a feeling of worry.

2. The venue was packed, which did restore a little bit of my excitement.

3. If the E4 section view was like this, I would've definitely gone for standing! For a ticket costing ~$185, the view was absolutely terrible.

4. The audience remained quiet even after 7 PM.

(Usually, there's cheering and shouting Charlie's name by then!)

5. The show started 10 minutes late.

(If it was going to start late, they could have at least shown a VCR or something on screen...)

6. Overuse of chorus vocals. Many people raved that the full band and new arrangements, a highlight of this tour, were 'heavenly' and 'so good.' But my friend and I, on the other hand, just wanted to hear Charlie's voice purely.

7. Right after the show started, a critical fart incident happened in our row!

(The smell was truly sickening... it was so strong, it felt like someone really let it rip! Whoever passed gas, please confess!)

8. Disappointment with the setlist composition.

Of course, I know it's a new tour, so many new songs were included, and I'm grateful for the songs added specifically for Korea.

But truly classic tracks like

'I Don't Think That I Like Her' were missing.

'That's Hilarious'

'Patient'

and more.

It was disappointing that songs from his 3rd album were completely absent from the setlist.

It was also a pity that 'See You Again' and

'One Call Away' came out so early in the show.

And, of course, everyone just keeping their phone flashlights on until they were tired was also a bit much...

9. Charlie's hair loss.

Charlie's a rich man, so I hope hair loss medication gets developed quickly!

10. When the camera zoomed in on Charlie's hands playing the keyboard,

my focus totally shattered at his fingernails...

11. Why were there no fireworks?......

The concert ending lacked its highlight.

Charlie was still cute, but

I could sense the hardships of Western aging and child-rearing, perhaps?​

It wasn't that the concert was entirely bad, but

for someone like me, accustomed to Korean concert experiences,

it just didn't quite deliver enough dopamine,

so it left me feeling a bit disappointed... that's about it.

ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Still, if out of 40,000 people, excluding me, her, and my friend,

the other 39,000+ were satisfied,

then Charlie must have been satisfied too, right...?

Charlie, be a little less happy in Japan and China!

And please come back next year...💚❤️