Feeling Everything: WILLOW rocks the Royale
Sarah Fournell
The line to get into the Royale was full of beautiful and intimidating people trailing down Tremont Street and around the corner. As I waited to get my vaccine card verified, I was overcome with anxiety about going inside. I was terrified to be in a crowd so dense after being out of crowds for so long, but I had a complete change of heart throughout the course of the show.
The first opening act, female indie rock trio Kid Sistr, felt like they would be the type to buy clothes from Goodwill just to upsell them on Depop later. While I was impressed by their instrumentation, I was turned off by their overall essence. Based on the lack of enthusiasm from the rest of the audience, the distaste was shared.
The energy completely changed when denim vest clad DE’WAYNE took the stage. Like a puppet master bringing a sleepy troupe of marionettes back to life, he had a dynamic control over the crowd. Every word, guitar riff, and shake of his shoulder was completely and utterly alluring — his performance was purely electric. Each song was a flawless and exciting blend of punk, rock, and rap. The crowd was completely buzzing when the house lights rose back up at the end of his set.
Hitting the ground running with “Transparent Soul,” Willow, along with the entire audience, was bouncing off the walls with excitement. I swear I felt the floor fall out from beneath me, and from that moment on, was dancing in the palm of her hand. After completely dazzling the stage, Willow welcomed the audience with the mantra “I am Love. You are Love. We are Love.” Her genuine happiness was apparent, and sparked a pure, vibrant flow of energy in the theatre.
Her newest album, lately I feel EVERYTHING took prominence on the setlist. She breathed new life into her tracks “G R OW” and “Gaslight” that originally feature Travis Barker on the drums.
In between drags of a joint, she highlighted songs from her earlier albums, such as “Time Machine” and “Overthinking IT.” She performed each song as if she knew that somewhere in the crowd, that song was somebody’s favorite.
Willow’s overall love for her fans was extremely apparent in the way that she expressed concern for the sweaty audience; as she began to play more energetic songs, she gave a thoughtful disclaimer that “If you need water, or you’re tired, or you don’t want to be in a mosh pit, kindly move to the side.” The floor opened up and relieved fans were liberated from the tightness of the crowd. Movements became fluid and turbulent, and although I tried my best to stay in the very back of the pit, I still left the set with bruises and an untied dress.
The room brightened up immediately as Willow invited Tyler Cole, her collaborator from THE ANXIETY on stage. I didn’t know it was possible for the crowd to sing louder than they had been until the duo performed the recently popular “Meet Me at Our Spot.”
Willow is the true embodiment of a rockstar. Each song felt brand new yet so familiar. Despite the fact that I went into the show having heard only a few of her songs, I felt as though I knew every word; her music simply had that power. Rather than crowd control, she harnessed a crowd camaraderie. Even though we were packed tight in a sweaty theatre, she played to us as if we were her closest friends and the stage was her bedroom.
Willow’s show was a reminder that life can be so wonderful. Although I entered the venue slightly dreading the coming hours, Willow quickly forced me to do a complete 180. I had been down for so long, stuck in a constant cycle of being busy and exhausted. Her love for music, her performance capabilities, and her absolutely glowing smile were enough to drag me out of the dumps I had let myself fall into. The performance gave me a reinvigorated sense of life and purpose, and was the beautiful beginning to a lifelong friendship between me and her music.