REVIEW: Waylon Wyatt @ Royale 10/23
Photo Credit: John Hutchings
Review by Natalie Shin
Last Friday, country artist Waylon Wyatt brought Southern humidity to a particularly chilly Boston night. Originally from Arkansas, the 20-year-old singer has embarked on his Dustpiles World Tour in celebration of his 2026 album, “Dustpiles.” Boston was one of his Northeast stops on a tour that will eventually take him all the way across the pond.
At his Boston show, Wyatt proved that he could still bring Southern charm to the Northeast. The concert took place at the Royale, a historic music venue originally built as a hotel ballroom. Whether you love the space or loathe it, there is no denying its vintage appeal — everything from the ornamented railings to the classical statues points to a rich past. And if it weren’t for the night draft floating in throughout the venue, you would never have guessed it was late October as flowy white dresses, cowboy hats and camo muscle tanks filled the room.
As concertgoers awaited the opener, country music flowed from the speakers. They didn’t need to wait long; country artist Noah James came out at 7 p.m., met with hollers and cheers from the audience.
He began his 45-minute set with “Denim Eyed Dear,” a meandering tune telling the story of hisblue-eyed love. While James was supported by a backup band, his vocals spoke for themselves. Raw and weathered, he sang with the voice of someone far older than 19. His vocals were complemented by his acoustic guitar and harmonica, which he played with a Bob Dylan-esque essence — if Dylan had emerged from the bayous of Louisiana rather than Greenwich Village.
The rest of the set included an unreleased song, “Don’t Judge a Man,” a cover of Zach Bryan’s “Pink Skies,” the song which jump-started his career after he posted it to TikTok, and a concluding song called “Nothin Rich” off of his new EP by the same name.
After being imbued with melodies of heartache, cowboy boots and southern twang, the crowd was humming in anticipation for Wyatt to come on. Some audience members hummed his lyrics; others discussed which songs they were most excited for. Finally, at 8 p.m., Wyatt took the stage accompanied by an eclectic band featuring instruments ranging from drums to banjo. Gauzy stage lights illuminated the ecstatic faces of the audience, and cheers rippled through the crowd.
Wearing blue jeans and a tee, Wyatt’s humble acoustic guitar was his only accessory. However, as soon as he began singing his 2025 single “Pretty Little Liar,” his stage presence became immediately apparent. The drums amplified the twang in his voice, and the whole crowd began dancing along. The stage lights began strobing to the beat, and in a matter of seconds, Wyatt had turned a small room into an electrified dance floor.
Wyatt followed this song with a performance of “I’d Be Delighted,” a slow and sultry melody with instrumentals that rang heavily of “Oneida” by Tyler Childers, a major influence of his alongside Zach Bryan and the Turnpike Troubadours. He soon picked the beat back up with songs like “Riches to Rags” and “In Loving Melody” and conjured a frenetic energy with “Dead Man Walkin’.” This song in particular was electrifying from start to finish, with some audience members breaking out into small line dances while Wyatt shredded his acoustic guitar and cocked it as if it were a rifle. As the pedal steel guitar droned in the background, one could imagine themselves at a honky-tonk concert.
Breaking out into a rockabilly jig during instrumental breaks, Wyatt was reminiscent of a southern Jerry Lee Lewis. At one point, he went head to head with his banjoist while the two performed a duet, trading dance steps between notes.
Wyatt’s youthful energy is not surprising considering the singer turned 20 not even a month ago. He got his start at only 6 years old, writing “How to Be a Man,” a song that would foreshadow his later wise-beyond-his-years storytelling. Not long after, he began writing music seriously when he was 12 and delved into the country scene at 15.
Wyatt’s age was apparent in how interactive the performance was. As he got the crowd to sing along, wave their phone lights and dance, it became clear how easily he spoke the language of those his own age. Much of the audience was young adults, with a couple of older fans also coming out in support. Wyatt’s own father was on his feet throughout the night running the merch stand.
Toward the end of the concert, a young fan gave Wyatt a portrait she had made for him.
“That’s crazy, ha!” he responded. “I was drawing stick figures at 16. Hell, I still draw stick figures.”
Ending with “Everything Under The Sun,” a fan favorite, Wyatt commanded the audience’s attention with a song of heartbreak and bittersweet endings. Although melancholy, people spent the last four minutes of the show holding their loved ones — a friend, a partner or a family member — close. It was an apt end to a show infused with a taste of warmer climates.