REVIEW: d4vd Brings Raw Emotion to Austin’s WITHERED World Tour Stop
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY SOPHIE GRAGG ☆
Provided Photo
LAST NIGHT AT STUBB’S IN AUSTIN 20-year-old alt-pop phenom d4vd proved exactly why his career has risen so quickly, and why his name is going to be one we hear for a long, long time. I’d seen him earlier this year at Coachella, so I already had a taste of what was coming, but his headlining set on the WITHERED World Tour still managed to exceed every expectation.
The first thing you notice is his voice. It’s almost impossible to comprehend how perfect it sounds live: crystalline, emotional and exactly like the record, only more intimate. It’s a rare gift to be both technically flawless and completely human in delivery, and d4vd threads that needle effortlessly. Every note landed with the same raw honesty that made “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me” viral anthems, but hearing them in the open air with a crowd of thousands singing back every word made them feel even bigger.
The WITHERED setlist unfolded like the album itself: intentional, dynamic and emotionally layered. Fans swayed during the gentle ache of “Feel It” and track “Crashing” with Kali Uchis hit like a dream sequence, while his newest track “Always Love” (with Hyunjin of Stray Kids) sent the crowd into a frenzy. There’s something magnetic about the way d4vd blends alt-R&B, indie pop and lo-fi textures live. It’s sleek, but it never loses the DIY heart that started in a Houston closet with BandLab.
Between songs, he was humble and grounded, speaking to the crowd like old friends. At just 20, d4vd is already playing the biggest venues of his career, and after last night, it’s obvious he belongs on stages this size and bigger. His voice, his vision, and his ability to make thousands of people feel seen all point to an artist at the start of a long, unstoppable run. Austin got to witness something special last night.
