Benson Boone brings the Wanted Man Tour to North Little Rock
Benson Boone is coming to Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock on Saturday, August 29, 2026, with the concert starting at 8:00 PM. The performance is part of his "Wanted Man Tour", a summer U.S. arena concert series that follows the global tour connected with the album "American Heart".
For Boone, this is no longer the stage at which audiences come only because of one viral hit. "Beautiful Things" became a global phenomenon and, according to IFPI, was the world's most successful single of 2024, while maintaining a strong international presence throughout 2025 as well. In the meantime, Boone expanded his repertoire with a second album, new singles and a concert format built for large venues.
North Little Rock also comes very late in the schedule of the U.S. leg of the tour. The tour began on July 7 in Pittsburgh, and after the concert at Simmons Bank Arena, performances remain in Kansas City, Omaha and Casper, where the U.S. leg ends on September 3. That means the audience in Arkansas gets the production after almost two months of performances and adjustments of the show for large arenas.
Tickets for this event are in demand. For audiences who want to see Boone at precisely this stage of his career, the concert combines the biggest hit from the first phase of his breakthrough with songs that have since defined his sound.
From "Beautiful Things" to "American Heart"
Boone's international breakthrough is difficult to separate from the song "Beautiful Things". Released in early 2024, the song finished at number one on the IFPI Global Single Chart for that year. It was also the foundation of his debut album "Fireworks & Rollerblades", but his current concert identity is no longer limited to that album.
The second studio album "American Heart" was released in June 2025 and opened up a considerably broader space for Boone's pop-rock approach. The album reached number two on the U.S. and Canadian album charts and number one in Australia and New Zealand. Among the songs that have become important to this phase of his career are "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else", "Mystical Magical", "Mr Electric Blue", "Young American Heart", "Take Me Home", "Momma Song" and "Wanted Man".
The title of the current tour is taken directly from the song "Wanted Man", so the concert feels more like a continuation of the world of the album "American Heart" than a repetition of the previous tour.
Boone was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Artist category in 2025, and he performed "Beautiful Things" at the ceremony. That same year, he also performed at Coachella, where Brian May joined him during a performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Such performances further emphasized an element that is important today for understanding Boone live: his interest in a large, theatrical pop-rock performance, with piano, band and a highly physical stage performance.
The current phase also brings a new song
The latest release in his catalog is the single "The Time Of My Life", released on June 25, 2026. The song is already appearing in the tour program, which means that the Wanted Man Tour does not function only as a survey of two albums but also includes material created after "American Heart".
That is useful to know for audiences who primarily know Boone through several of his biggest songs. His catalog now allows for a considerably more varied concert: from slower songs centered on vocals and piano to big pop-rock choruses that make better use of the arena space.
- "Beautiful Things" remains his most recognizable global hit.
- "Slow It Down" and "In the Stars" represent the more emotional, ballad-oriented side of the repertoire.
- "Mystical Magical", "Mr Electric Blue" and "Young American Heart" bring the brighter and more rhythmic part of the current phase.
- "Wanted Man" connects the album "American Heart" with the identity of the tour.
- "The Time Of My Life" represents the newest stage of his catalog in 2026.
What the Wanted Man Tour looks like live
Performances on the tour so far provide a fairly clear picture of the concert's rhythm, but the program in North Little Rock should not be treated in advance as completely fixed. The order and individual songs may change.
A review of the concert at Allstate Arena in Rosemont on July 24 recorded a 20-song program. Among them were "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else", "Mr Electric Blue", "There She Goes", "Wanted Man", "Drunk in My Mind", "Slow It Down", "Mystical Magical", "Pretty Slowly", "In the Stars", "Take Me Home", "Young American Heart", "Momma Song", "Before You", "The Time of My Life", "I Wanna Be the One You Call", "Cry" and "Beautiful Things".
Later concerts retained much of that foundation, and on some dates Boone also performed the unreleased song "Traveler". That does not mean the same song will necessarily appear at Simmons Bank Arena, but it shows that the tour has room for material outside the standard catalog as well.
Reviews from Baltimore, Chicago and other cities particularly highlight Boone's energy, his work at the piano, movement along the extended stage and his already well-known tendency toward acrobatic elements. At previous dates, large video screens, separate stage sections and production transitions between energetic songs and calmer moments were seen. These details describe earlier concerts on the tour, not a guarantee of identical production in every city.
The most important constant, however, is the vocal performance. Boone's songs often begin relatively restrained before moving into high, powerful choruses, which gives songs such as "Beautiful Things" and "Slow It Down" a different dynamic in front of several thousand people than on the studio recording.
It is worth securing tickets in time.
What kind of audience this concert is for
The Wanted Man Tour is interesting for audiences who discovered Boone through "Beautiful Things", but the program is not designed solely around that single. Current sets give plenty of space to the album "American Heart", while older songs such as "In the Stars", "Before You", "Slow It Down" and "Cry" connect the current tour with the earlier period of his career.
Reviews from the beginning of the tour describe an audience with a very wide age range, including teenagers, younger children with parents and adult listeners. That matches Boone's current position between contemporary streaming pop and the pop-rock tradition of large arenas.
For someone coming for the vocal performance, the most interesting moments will probably be those when the arrangement is simpler and the piano gets more space. Audiences looking for a more energetic pop concert will get the opposite side of Boone's performance through faster songs, the band and a highly physically active performance.
Simmons Bank Arena and the concert experience
Simmons Bank Arena is located in North Little Rock, directly beside the Arkansas River and across the river from downtown Little Rock. It opened in October 1999 and, according to the venue's information, has a capacity of up to 18,000 seats, with the actual number for an individual concert depending on the stage, floor and production configuration.
That size suits Boone's current phase well. The Wanted Man Tour is designed for arenas, and reviews so far describe a production that uses the width of the space, an extended stage and large visual elements, while at the same time leaving room for simpler vocal and piano sections.
Simmons Bank Arena is located at 1 Simmons Bank Arena Drive. The main entrance is along Simmons Bank Arena Drive at Washington Avenue. For visitors coming to the city for the first time, it is useful to know that North Little Rock and downtown Little Rock are connected across the river and that the Argenta District and River Market are located in the same wider area.
Getting there, parking and public transportation
For arrival by car, the arena publishes detailed directions from the main interstate highways. There are several parking lots in the surrounding area operated by different operators. The venue warns that after major events, Washington Avenue between Olive and Cypress Streets may be temporarily closed to allow safer movement for large numbers of pedestrians.
That is particularly important after the concert ends, when a large number of vehicles and pedestrians leave the area within a short period. Arriving earlier therefore makes sense even if the seat inside the arena is reserved.
An alternative to driving is the Rock Region METRO Streetcar. The Blue Line connects central areas of Little Rock and North Little Rock, and one of the stops is 120 Main Street, marked as the Simmons Bank Arena Plaza Stop. Current information from the transit operator states that the streetcar is currently operating free of charge.
Because of construction work on the 30 Crossing project, occasional service changes are possible, so the schedule and any service notices should be checked again on the day of the concert. That is more useful than relying on a schedule saved in advance, especially for the return trip after the performance.
Entry rules worth knowing before you leave
Simmons Bank Arena conducts security screening at the entrance. Visitors pass through a metal detector, and bags are subject to inspection. According to the venue's rules, bags larger than 14 x 14 x 6 inches are not permitted.
Items that should not be brought include weapons, self-defense sprays, fireworks, outside food and beverages, laser pointers, noise-making devices, selfie sticks and GoPro cameras. Audio and video recording devices are not permitted without special authorization.
An additional rule applies to cameras: professional equipment is not permitted without the appropriate credentials, while small personal photographic equipment with a lens of up to 3 inches is generally allowed. The venue nevertheless warns that individual events may have stricter rules, so the camera policy should be checked immediately before the concert.
Re-entry after leaving is not permitted. That means visitors should have everything they will need during the evening before passing through security.
Purchases of food, beverages and merchandise inside Simmons Bank Arena are made by card or mobile payment. At the same time, some nearby parking lots not operated by the arena may function differently, so it is not a bad idea to have a backup payment option for parking.
What to check immediately before the concert
The performance is listed as starting at 8:00 PM, but door-opening time is not the same for every event. Simmons Bank Arena states that it varies depending on the program, so it is worth checking that information again before arrival instead of assuming that the doors always open one hour earlier.
The same applies to any changes in camera rules, traffic around the arena and public transportation. For this date, current event listings name Benson Boone, without any need to assume additional guests or an opening act that have not been confirmed for North Little Rock.
For audiences who want to become familiar with the repertoire before the concert, a practical preparation is to listen to "American Heart", followed by key songs from "Fireworks & Rollerblades" and the current single "The Time Of My Life". This covers most of the musical range that has marked the Wanted Man Tour dates so far.
Ticket sales for this event are ongoing. Because North Little Rock is located near the very end of the U.S. leg of the tour, the concert comes at a point when Boone has already passed through a series of large arenas and when the Wanted Man Tour has a clearly formed concert identity.
Sources:
- Simmons Bank Arena - event date and time, venue address and capacity, entry rules, bag and camera policy, cashless payment, parking and traffic information.
- Warner Records - announcement of the Wanted Man Tour, city schedule, North Little Rock's position on the tour, and information about the album "American Heart" and the artist's earlier successes.
- IFPI - global performance of the song "Beautiful Things" and first place on the Global Single Chart for 2024.
- Apple Music - current discography and release of the single "The Time Of My Life" on June 25, 2026.
- Chicago Sun-Times - review of the Wanted Man Tour at Allstate Arena and the recorded concert setlist on July 24, 2026.
- Parklife DC - description of the production, audience and concert dynamics at the beginning of the Wanted Man Tour in Baltimore.
- Rock Region METRO - Blue Line Streetcar, Simmons Bank Arena Plaza stop, current service arrangements and information about possible changes due to 30 Crossing construction.