US singer Benson Boone embraces gross Aussie tradition on stage in Sydney

American singer Benson Boone has become the latest visiting star to indulge in one of Australia’s grossest concert traditions.

American singer Benson Boone has become the latest visiting star to indulge in one of Australia’s grossest traditions, an onstage “shoey.”

Footage posted to TikTok shows Beautiful Things hitmaker Boone, 22, on stage at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Monday night, stopping the show to pour a drink into a large cowboy boot, then drink it out of the boot.

Boone didn’t quite play by shoey rules, though: He appeared to be drinking bottled water, instead of the customary beer.

The concertgoer who posted the video online reported that the cowboy boot was not Boone’s own – no word yet on whether it had been on the foot of a gig attendee in the notoriously sweaty confines of the Hordern Pavilion before Boone brought it to his lips.

You could fit a pint in that.

Not everyone was a fan of Boone embracing Australian culture so enthusiastically.

”I was there and cringed. As a culture we need to retire the shoey, please,” another punter commented under the video.

Back in 2023, former One Direction superstar Harry Styles kicked off his Australian tour by kicking off a sneaker for a customary shoey.

“This is one of the most disgusting traditions I’ve ever …” Styles told the crowd before he drank liquid from the shoe.

She Can't Get Shoe Out of Her Head.

Requests for a visiting international artist to do a “shoey” have become a regular fixture of Australian concerts in recent years, with some artists like Post Malone and Stormzy obliging – and others refusing.

Country-pop star Kacey Musgraves memorably told a Sydney audience during her 2019 tour that she would not be heeding their demands.

“That’s disgusting. I’m not f**king drinking out of your shoe,” she told them.

And Aussie artists are bringing the custom to other parts of the world, too: Aussie pop queen Kylie Minogue gamely did a shoey out of a high heel at last year’s BRIT Awards (let’s hope it was at least Kylie rose).

Originally published as US singer Benson Boone embraces gross Aussie tradition on stage in Sydney