After two sold-out shows at The Sinclair in 2025, country artist Waylon Wyatt made his grand return to Boston at Royale on Friday.
The chilly October night did not stop young female fans from pulling out their cutest jean skirts and cowgirl boots. Girls entertained themselves before the show time by singing their favorite Wyatt songs as the guys in the crowd looked on in their overalls and camouflage baseball caps.
Opener Noah James took the stage first with a string of acoustic numbers, complemented by soulful flourishes exhaled from the harmonica mounted around his neck. Afterwards the lights went dark, screams filled the venue, the pounding of boots shook the floor in anticipation. Excited fans in the balcony leaned over the railings to catch a first glimpse of the headliner.
Wyatt rotated effortlessly between acoustic and electric guitars, combining rock with classic country twang. Supported by a backing band of four, Wyatt and company commanded the stage and delivered a sense of humble confidence. The audience enjoyed his charisma and natural charm as they bobbed their heads and rocked side to side.
“If you ain’t movin’ and groovin’, you ain’t human,” said Wyatt as he launched into “Dead Man Walkin’,” the energetic peak of the performance.
Boston received a special shoutout, with Wyatt swapping the lyric, “And I lost my way out East of Austin,” to “way out of Boston,” eliciting elated cheers from the crowd.
Wyatt took time to show admiration for his audience. He paused halfway through the performance to grab a drawing by a 16-year-old fan, Noelle. The drawing was accompanied by a note saying it took her more than 40 hours to complete.
“I was drawing stick figures at 16,” Wyatt said. “I’m 20 years old, and I’m still drawing stick figures – this is incredible!”
Later in the set Wyatt asked the audience for “a big favor.” He told the crowd to turn on their phone flashlights and “raise that thing high up into the sky and make this place shine like an Arkansas diamond,” as he launched into his most-streamed song on Spotify, “Arkansas Diamond.”
The crowd complied and the venue went nearly silent, everyone focused on Wyatt and his acoustic ballad. Instead of being distracted by their phones, everyone was just shining their flashlights and singing along. Wyatt mentioned that he wrote the song at 16 about his hometown of Hackett, Arkansas.
The night wrapped up with a catchy two-song encore, and Wyatt brought out his opener to sing “Jailbreak,” and the most anticipated hit of the night, “Everything Under the Sun.”
“A lot of people miss out and skip over him as a country artist,” said longtime Wyatt fan Kristina Cardello. “In the future, I’m excited to see what he’ll become.”
