Charlie Puth's Madison Square Garden concert featured a surprise appearance by several famous guests, and Billboard visited the scene to capture some of these moments on video.
On Friday night (May 29), Puth headlined the famed New York City venue as part of his Whatever's Clever world tour, which kicked off just over a month ago in support of his album Whatever's Clever!, which will be released in 2026. At the concert, he invited Art Garfunkel, Jimmy Fallon, Busta Rhymes and Kirk Franklin on stage to perform 23 songs together.
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The first surprise of the show was the appearance of Art Garfunkel, who performed a heartfelt duet with Paul, singing Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," a Hot 100 Top 10 hit in 1969 that appeared on the duo's final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water . "He learned how to make his records from me and Paul," Garfunkel told a New York crowd on Friday. "You're my student.".
Puth agreed: "I'm your student. I'm not just saying that because all these wonderful people are here. The reason I'm here now is because of the music you and Paul wrote together. It's amazing.".
Midway through Puth's set, a sunglasses-clad Jimmy Fallon joined the singer to perform Toto's '80s hit "Africa"—their biggest hit, reaching number one in 1983. After a brief embrace, Fallon presented the star of the evening with a custom New York Rangers jersey with "PUTH" and the number 26 on the back.
To keep things moving mid-show, the next surprise guest on the Puth stage was Busta Rhymes, who performed the early 2000s classic "Break Ya Neck" and the late '90s hit "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"—plus the slightly more recent "Look at Me Now," Chris Brown's 2011 single, which Busta featured on with Lil Wayne.
In closing, the rapper called on the entire city to welcome their host: "New York, please welcome our brother, your brother, the incredible Charlie Puth.".
More entertainment awaited us. Kirk Franklin arrived to join Puth for a performance of two of his songs, "I Smile" and "Lean On Me," as well as a cover of "Stomp" by the gospel group God's Poperty.
Puth's tour continues Saturday night (May 30) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, before heading south. He's scheduled to perform throughout the United States until mid-June, then head overseas for the European leg of the tour.
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