Following the release of his fourth studio album Wonder, Shawn Mendes has adapted to this year’s trend of live-streamed concerts. Wonder: The Experience is a condensed version of his successful shows in arenas all over the world, a 15-minute Q&A session and a 35-minute set featuring a few of his newest songs, all from The Palace Theatre in New York City.
Fans flooded the livestream chat to answer trivia questions before the show started. After a little bit of a late start — 50 minutes to be exact — Shawn appeared with wet hair and his guitar at the ready to start the Q&A. Yes, he was in the shower when the show was supposed to start, but to be fair, his hair is really long now!
Shawn answered questions about the meaning behind the songs and what he learned about himself throughout the making of the album. He acknowledged the fact that there can be beauty in mistakes and that he has had to surrender to the process. He revealed that he always came back to the first track, “Intro,” to remind himself of the sound he wanted to create.
The show opened with Shawn sitting calmly at his upright piano, and he loosened up throughout the livestream. After each song, there were cutaways to Shawn in the studio going into more detail about them.
His strongest performances were “Wonder,” “Always Been You,” and “Look Up At The Stars.” During “Always Been You,” Shawn excelled at his high notes and managed to control his voice with ease. There was a jaw-dropping moment during “Look Up At The Stars” where Shawn became airborne for a few seconds as he played the piano. When he would wrap up a song, he would smile, exhale, or laugh out of what seemed like genuine glee.
Fans can relive the performances on YouTube or stream the songs on the deluxe version of Wonder. There is also exclusive merch for sale here.