Benson Boone is a ridiculous young man.

That was the main takeaway from the 23-year-old’s performance Friday night at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, the debut show of his first all-arena tour that will see him play more than 50 cities across the next three months.

The Washington state native emerged in 2021 as a competitor on “American Idol” who found a burst of self confidence that led to him leaving the show, despite landing in the Top 24.

It was a smart move, given that it’s been ages since “Idol” has produced an actual star. Boone, or someone managing him, realized it made far more sense to forgo network television and lean into his increasing TikTok popularity, which helped fuel interest in his early singles “Ghost Town” and “In the Stars.”

But it was last year’s “Beautiful Things” that blew Boone out of teenage phones and into the mainstream. And Boone was more than ready for the spotlight, with a sound that filtered ’70s glam rock and sleek ’80s pop through a modern sensibility and a flamboyant look clearly modeled after his hero Freddie Mercury (even if he comes off more like the late magician Doug Henning). Think an American Harry Styles with more teeth and bigger muscles.

Oh, and he does back flips.

Friday night, Boone pulled out every trick in his repertoire, radiating with the intensity of a vaudeville-era star playing to the cheapest seats in the house. He’s got a strong, if not particularly nuanced, voice that served him well over the lustful screams from the audience, which was heavy on young women and families.

In addition to his back flips (I lost count at five), Boone spent the 95-minute show sprinting up and down the catwalk that stretched across the arena floor, stopping to grab fans’ hands in the pit below and staring directly into the cameras that followed his every move, beaming his mug to the entire sold-out arena.

Yes, Benson Boone tries really hard. He was fun to watch at times, but he got tiring. The music business is full of brooding cool kids afraid to show too much effort, so I suppose it’s refreshing to see someone wholeheartedly embrace fame at its biggest, brightest and tackiest. But, man, even Katy Perry would look at this guy and suggest he tone it down a bit.

As for the music, the tour is built around the tracks from his sophomore album “American Heart,” which hit streaming some six weeks after the tour went on sale and fans paid hundreds for tickets. Boone has said Bruce Springsteen was a key influence on the record, but hearing the songs live only reinforced that he sounds more like the Killers’ plastic take on the Boss. (The Killers have made exactly one great album and that’s “Hot Fuss.” I will die on this hill.)

Take “Mystical Magical,” which “SNL” fans might remember from Boone’s appearance on the show in May. Its rinky dink synths sound torn from Styles’ far superior “As It Was,” while the chorus interpolates the hook from Olivia Newton-John’s classic “Physical.” That’s not even a novel move, as Doja Cat did the exact same thing with “Physical” just four years ago on the, yes, far superior “Kiss Me More.”

Even more so live than on record, “Momma Song” sounded like a half dozen other tracks in Boone’s repertoire. Like much of his material, it was all surface and no depth, a sparkly bauble made of tin foil.

Then again, I don’t know that the crowd cared that his songs all start to blend together. They came to see Benson Boone belt his tunes, preen for the cameras and do back flips. He delivered on all three fronts.

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When Meghan Trainor burst onto the pop music scene in 2014, her dance-oriented pop was a refreshing contrast to so much of what was coming out of the radio. She wrote songs about feeling positive about your body, something that many a tween girl and younger needed amid an onslaught of online bullying and body shaming. According to Trainor’s lyrics, you’re fine just the way you are. And it’s very likely that that message has saved some lives.

And it’s easy to understand why that’s made her so beloved of a fan base that’s stayed with her long after the international sensation of “All About That Bass” has faded from earshot. So she deserves the kind of attention that attracted 8,112 fans to the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Friday night. What they experienced was a bubbly, buoyant dance party that kept the crowd on its feet and bouncing throughout her 80-minute, 19-song set of retro-flavored dance pop.

But was it a concert? That’s debatable. It was basically a prerecorded show, with Trainor singing lead vocals atop the tracks from her albums. The lone reason to buy a ticket was to witness her dancing with eight other women and to celebrate the infectious beats and positive messages of her songs with a Grandstand full of kindred spirits.

And to be clear: They are her songs. Unlike some pop stars whose music is the product of a consortium of songwriters and producers, Trainor is the lead songwriter on all of her hits. She was already selling songs in her teens to pop and country acts before she signed her first recording contract and she doesn’t just shop around for songs that send affirmative messages to young female listeners: She writes them.

But Friday’s show may have undercut her message somewhat, as a considerably thinner Trainor sported a spangled bikini-style Las Vegas showgirl outfit and a platinum wig wider than her shoulders, frequently turning to wiggle her slimmed-down posterior to the audience when her biggest hit was about being proud to have a considerably larger one.

That said, there was plenty of fun to be had admiring the well-executed choreography with her dancers, all of them clad in cheerleader-style pleats. And the audience clearly exulted in singing and dancing along to such ‘50s-flavored fare as “Dear Future Husband” and “Whoops.” But I came away concerned that the glamorous showgirl schtick was making Trainor seem too much a poor girl’s Taylor Swift, when she has the potential to be someone uniquely her. The kind of individual she encourages her listeners to be.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

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Jessica Shepard had the second triple-double in team history, and the Lynx used a dominant third quarter for a 95-90 win on Friday at Indiana.

Kayla McBride tied a season high with 29 points, Natisha Hiedeman added 17 off the bench and Minnesota ended a two-game skid.

Playing all 40 minutes, Shepard finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, including 11 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the first half. She was 10 for 11 from the field and did not turn the ball over nor commit a foul.

Shepard needed just 22 minutes for her triple-double, the fastest in league history, she’s the first player to get a triple-while shooting at least 90%, and she’s the third player in league history to have at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with no turnovers, joining Alyssa Thomas and Sabrina Ionescu.

“I was just trying to do whatever it took for our team to win coming off two losses,” she said. “If you’re going to have a triple-double, you have to win the game. I was proud of our whole team.”

Moriah Jefferson had the only other triple-double in Lynx history on June 28, 2022 with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Initially listed as questionable, MVP-favorite Napheesa Collier missed her seventh consecutive game with a right ankle injury. The Lynx are 5-2 in her absence.

“In terms of what the group needed, and maybe what we don’t have when we’re playing without Phee, is a paint presence, so the others needed someone to throw it into. Over the games that Phee hasn’t been in, Jess has kind of taken on spot of Phee and has done it quite well,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “This is the epitome of Jess: good scorer, passer, rebounder. All of it was on display for us today.”

Shepard, a strong contender for the league’s Sixth Player of the Year Award, moved into the middle of the Lynx frontcourt in Collier’s absence and is averaging 11.9 points and 10 rebounds in those seven games. Yet, she could very well again be a non-starter when Collier is back.

Reeve said the bench is a Lynx strength.

“We’ll be very mindful about making sure Jess’s minutes are what they need to be and we’ll find different way to do that. Not an easy decision for sure, but Napheesa Collier is an MVP, so everyone will understand that decision has to be made.”

This is the first of three regular-season meetings between the teams, who also tip off Sunday night at Target Center. Indiana (19-17) beat Minnesota July 1 in the Commissioner’s Cup final.

Playing its third road game in four nights in three cities, the Lynx (29-7) dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Fever 32-17 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into an 82-69 lead. Getting defensive stops led to getting out in transition which led to being better identifying open opportunities and the Lynx were 13 of 15 from the field in the quarter.

“We just got the ball moving a little bit more but it all started with our defensive intensity,” McBride said.

A layup by Shepard put the Lynx up 89-76 with 4:37 left, but Aliyah Boston scored eight straight points to whittle Minnesota’s lead to five with 2:02 left.

McBride scored on a drive and Bridget Carleton drained a step back jumper with 1:03 left as the shot clock was about to expire for a 93-86 cushion.

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As expected, the Vikings sat their offensive starters in Friday’s preseason finale in Tennessee. But they also didn’t play many of their second stringers, which left Minnesota largely trotting out its third teamers versus the Titans starters at the game’s outset in Nashville.

So, there wasn’t much knowledge to be gained via the first half off on-field action. But there were a few things of note that occurred.

Here are takeaways from the first half of Minnesota’s exhibition bout (the game ended before this edition went to print):

Was there ever a battle for the QB2 job?

Friday’s lineup choices would suggest otherwise. Sam Howell has struggled throughout training camp. And while he was electric in Minnesota’s preseason opener against Houston, he was uninspiring in last week’s showing against New England.

The persistent lack of performance caused many to wonder if Howell may be unseated as Minnesota’s next-in-line behind J.J. McCarthy under center.

But the fact Howell didn’t take a snap in Friday’s first half suggests he’s firmly entrenched in the No. 2 role.

Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, a Gophers product, got the start Friday and was solid considering the circumstances — leading a third-team offense against many of Tennessee’s defensive starters. Brosmer was poised and Minnesota’s early drives were derailed more by penalties than his play.

He eventually gave way to Brett Rypien before re-taking the reins for Minnesota’s final drive of the half, in which he led the Vikings far enough down the field where they could attempt, and miss, a lengthy field goal try.

Brosmer has been a fun focus for fans throughout camp, and he’s impressed in the preseason. It looks like he has the leg up on Rypien for the No. 3 position on the depth chart, which could earn him a spot on the roster.

Still, it looks as though, barring any moves between now and the season opener Sept. 8 in Chicago, Howell will be the backup quarterback in Minnesota, which ultimately makes sense considering his past history as a starting quarterback in Washington.

Receivers anywhere?

Van Jefferson has reportedly been in tight contention for a roster spot in Tennessee after an unimpressive camp. But the 29-year-old made a strong case to stay Friday, tallying three catches for 102 yards and a score in the first half.

The highlight of his night was a quick-out, in which Jefferson made the initial defender miss, then cut up field, hit his top gear and went 65 yards to the house for a score.

If Tennessee doesn’t want him, maybe Minnesota will.

The 29-year-old journeyman did have 50 catches for 802 yards and six scores in 2021, when he played for then-offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for a Rams team that won the Super Bowl. The play he made in the second quarter Friday simply hasn’t occurred for any of the pass catchers down Minnesota’s depth chart.

It’s no secret at this point that Minnesota is in the market for receiving help as Jordan Addison is set to miss the first three games of the season while serving a league suspension and Jalen Nailor is suffering from a hand injury.

On Friday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the Vikings have inquired about acquiring the still-productive, 35-year-old Adam Thielen from Carolina in a potential reunion. But should the Panthers choose to keep the veteran wideout, Jefferson’s play is a reminder that there are plenty of other potentially available options who could bolster a room that hasn’t produced much of note over the past month.

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