‘Gold Over America Tour’ Review: A Golden Opportunity to Experience Gold-Level Gymnastics | Arts

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The excitement of the 2024 Paris Olympics lives on through the “Gold Over America Tour,” which had two showings in Boston this past Sunday and Monday evenings. Held at TD Garden, this pop-style concert showcased impressive gymnastics performances by Team USA gymnasts from both the women’s and men’s teams — including none other than the most decorated gymnast of all time, Simone Biles — along with other top gymnasts from around the world, including Canada and France.

Monday’s performance began with a pre-show introduction from Peng-Peng Lee, Katelyn Ohashi, Paul Juda, and Frederick Richard on the uniquely-designed stage. The set had a raised platform with a large screen at the back that connected to a long, padded runway, leading to a spring-bound square floor. On one side of the runway were the women’s uneven bars and the men’s high bar, while the other side featured the pommel horse, balance beam, and parallel bars.

Lee and Ohashi introduced themselves to the crowd as the hosts of the night as Richard scanned his hometown stadium, soaking it all in.

“I used to be up there watching the Celtics. But now, I’m here doing my gymnastics and I’m happy to be here,” Richard said.

The pre-show introduction also gave the gymnasts the opportunity to promote their other endeavors outside of the sport. Lee mentioned that she would soon be releasing some new music, and Ohashi shared her new poetry book, “Every Time, I Always Would.” The hosts, along with Juda and Richard, also threw T-shirts into the audience to boost the energy in the room.

After the four gymnasts left the stage, a video of Snoop Dogg, one of Team USA’s biggest fans at the Olympics, appeared on the back screen to welcome everyone to the “Gold Over America Tour.” The stage soon began to flood with the stars of the show adorned in sparkly, gold uniforms.

The hosts announced the gymnasts one by one — ranging from Olympic gold medalists Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles to Olympic bronze medalists Paul Juda, Brody Malone, and Frederick Richard — giving all of them an opportunity to showcase some of their favorite gymnastics skills. The lights then dimmed for a deservingly dramatic entrance for Simone Biles, who wore the sparkliest golden leotard of them all. Biles ran and flipped down the runway to join the rest of the cast on the floor.

The show incorporated elements of dance with the athleticism of gymnastics to create a truly unique performance experience. In many moments, some gymnasts were flipping on the floor, while others performed gravity-defying stunts on the bars, giving everyone an up close and personal view of the gymnasts’s impressive talent regardless of their seat location.

The performance also felt more relaxed and intimate than a typical stringently staged event. As some gymnasts displayed their skills, others mingled with one another, prepared for the bars by chalking their hands, or even took photos with audience members. This casual atmosphere added to the charm of the event, making the audience feel like part of the action rather than mere spectators.

An interesting facet of the “Gold Over America Tour” was its incorporation of acts inspired by popular cultural icons and themes, such as Taylor Swift and the “Barbie” movie . For instance, one act showcased members of the men’s Olympics gymnastics team partnering with professional dancers to Swift’s song “Love Story,” reminiscent of their teammate Stephen Nedoroscik dancing ballroom on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Another crowd favorite was the “Barbie”-themed number, in which the women gymnasts donned in pink as Barbie and the men gymnasts recreated Ken’s classic beach outfit. The men humorously embodied Ken’s character, poking fun at how they were always seen as second to the women’s team — and certainly eons away from the untouchable Biles.

During the women’s Barbie segment, the hosts attempted to teach the crowd a dance, enthusiastically calling out “Right! Left! We heart it out.” While only a handful of people stood up to join in, the energy of the hosts and the fun atmosphere still kept the audience captivated by the dazzling tricks and lively spirit of the show.

Following a brief 20-minute intermission, the show shifted to spotlight each of the 2024 Olympians who competed in Paris this past summer. The six of them — Biles, Chiles, Carey, Juda, Malone, and Richard — were asked a question by either Lee or Ohashi, offering the audience a rare chance to hear their voices live rather than through a broadcast from Paris. After each question, the spotlighted Olympian performed an excerpt from their award-winning routine. Chiles, for instance, showcased a portion of her Beyoncé-themed floor routine.

Most of the “Gold Over America Tour” scenes featured Simone Biles in front and center, which was quite apt given her status as the “greatest of all time” in gymnastics with a record-breaking 11 Olympic medals and five skills named after her. One of the closing acts hinted at Biles’s potential retirement, showing two photos of a young Biles practicing gymnastics with the following phrase on the screen: “Dear gymnastics, You were good to me.”

In the final act of the show, the performers invited select audience members who purchased the premium “Gold Squad” upgrade to dance with the cast on stage. “Gold Squad” members seemed to have already learned the choreography and had assigned spots on the floor, making the transition from audience to performer seamless.

As gold confetti engulfed the stadium in the finale, it was clear that the “Gold Over America” tour had delivered on its promise: celebrating the golden moments of gymnastics, performance, hard work, and passion. With a star-studded cast featuring gymnastics legends such as Biles, Chiles, and 2017 U.S. all-around champion Yul Moldauer, to name a few, audiences were sure to leave the night in awe.

The “Gold Over America Tour” ran at TD Garden from Oct. 6 to Oct. 7 and will continue its run in the U.S. through Nov. 3.

—Staff writer Allison S. Park can be reached at allison.park@thecrimson.com . Follow her on X @allisonskypark .

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‘Gold Over America Tour’ Review: A Golden Opportunity to Experience Gold-Level Gymnastics | Arts

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