Shawn Mendes dazzles Des Moines Saturday night

Canadian pop-rock singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes’s success has skyrocketed in just six short years.

The proof is in the 20-year-old’s headlining world tours, several awards, No. 1 singles on the Billboard charts and millions of adoring fans.

Mendes’ mostly female teen and preteen fans were out in droves Saturday night, packing Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.

The adoration the Des Moines crowd of 12,122 showed Mendes was immense.

The viral pop star, who rose to prominence after posting song covers on Vine in 2013 and signing a with Island Records the following year, has seen his popularity grow exponentially ever since.

Most of the night’s setlist was dominated by his critically acclaimed 2018 self-titled album.

Just before 8:30 p.m., the arena PA blasted Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” before the lights went down, which was met with deafening screams from the Des Moines audience in exciting anticipation for Mendes’s Wells Fargo debut.

Emerging from an opening under the massive circular stage, Mendes strutted out to the front with his acoustic guitar slung across his shoulder like a western gunslinger as he and his band launched into “Lost In Japan.”

The pop heartthrob’s charm and boyish good looks translated well on the stage and proved that he was truly having fun. And the audience hung onto his every word, while singing at the top of their lungs.

“There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back” from Mendes’ 2016 sophomore album “Illuminate” was up next, as the Des Moines crowd jumped gleefully and sang every word back to him. Switching to a Gretsch electric guitar, Mendes performed the sultry “Nervous,” decorated with his impressive Michael Jackson meets Prince falsetto harmonies on the spine-tingling chorus. “Stitches” had the crowd singing loudly as the LED-flashing white wristbands the arena passed out to fans before entering the arena illuminated in synch.

A fog-filled stage added to the dark atmosphere of “Bad Reputation,” while “Never Be Alone’s” Celtic flavor elicited robust chants from the crowd.

Moving to the smaller circular stage at the back of the arena near the soundboard, Mendes performed a medley of some of his best songs spanning all three of his albums, including “When You’re Ready,” “Life of the Party” and “Ruin,” as well as a brief vocal/keyboard segment of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Back on the main stage, the familiar “Treat You Better” was met with loud approval and was performed with accurate precision. “Particular Taste” was flawless, while “Where Were You in the Morning?” possessed a California beach vibe.

Back on acoustic guitar, Mendes launched into heartfelt renditions of “Fallin’ All in You” and “Youth.” Mendes’ band rejoined him on stage for a spirited rendition of his newly released single “If I Can’t Have You,” which he unveiled on Saturday Night Live last month.

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After the breathtaking “Why,” Mendes completed the set with a rousing rendition of “Mercy.”

As a multi-instrumentalist, Mendes seamlessly skirted between the acoustic guitar to the electric guitar to the piano with effortless ease throughout the night. But it was his silky voice that starred, especially on tracks “Nervous,” “Youth,” “Particular Taste” and “Why.” Although his band was very competent, it was easy to tell who the real star was, as Mendes hogged up most of the screenshots and stage space throughout the night.

Back for a two-song encore, Mendes launched into Coldplay’s emo ballad “Fix You,” while show closer “In My Blood” was the perfect climax to the 100-minute set as a startling blast of confetti and smoke spots from the stage sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Fellow Toronto-area singer-songwriter Alessia Cara opened the concert promptly at 7:30 p.m. and delivered a 10-song, 40-minute set that went down well with the Des Moines crowd, too.