Benson Boone Brings 13-Year-Old Fan Kenzie Riddle Onstage in Brisbane
Benson Boone brought a 13-year-old fan onstage in Brisbane on 6 November to sing his song "Beautiful Things" with him. It was her birthday.
The moment came at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, where roughly 10,000 people were in the arena. The show opened the Australian leg of Boone's Wanted Man tour, a run of concerts across the country. Boone told the crowd he had met a girl battling her second round of cancer, and that her birthday wish was to come onstage and sing "Beautiful Things." Billboard reported the exchange.
The fan, Kenzie Riddle, has Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue and mostly affects children and young adults. She had about two and a half years of treatment before the cancer returned. She now faces intensive chemotherapy, a course of strong drugs given to kill cancer cells.
Her family bought tickets to the Brisbane show in July as her 13th birthday present. Before the concert, Riddle said: "I love his energetic style and how he's so over the top." Local musician Fergus Hogan shared an Instagram video about her story, and her campaign to meet Boone spread quickly online.
"Beautiful Things" was released in January 2024 and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the chart that ranks the most popular songs in the United States each week.
Boone has two more Brisbane concerts, on 7 and 8 November. He then plays three nights at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena from 12 November. The Australian leg ends with three shows at Sydney's Afterpay Arena from 17 to 19 November.
