WATCH: Nate Smith Moved To Tears In Unforgettable On-Stage Moment

“Boston, you made a grown man cry.” the singer wrote.

By

Madeleine O’Connell

| Posted on

July 10, 2023

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3:12 pm

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Nate Smith; Photo by Chris Ashlee

Nate Smith was overcome by emotions and brought to tears during his recent performance in Boston, MA on Saturday, (July 8). The country star was singing his painfully honest ballad, “Wreckage,” when the crowd erupted in cheers of excitement and roaring applause. 

As Smith took off his hat and looked around Boston’s TD Garden arena with awe in his eyes, it was clear that he was soaking in every second of the unforgettable moment that further proved the impact of his career. 

Nate Smith; Photo by Chris Ashlee
Nate Smith; Photo by Chris Ashlee

The touching clip was captured and shared to social media following the show. Smith wrote, “I will never forget this moment” along with the caption, “Boston, you made a grown man cry.” 

Before “Wreckage” was officially released to streaming, Smith teased it on social media, causing fans to quickly fall in love with the genuine emotion behind the slow-tempo tune. 

Written by Smith alongside Chris Sligh, Mary Kutter, and Paul Wrock, the song illustrates the liberation of finding that special person who will see through your “baggage” and stick around, as opposed to those in the past turned away and left. The “Whiskey On You” singer pours the entirety of his heart and soul in the lyrics as his vocals stutter with true passion. 

“I’m a little damaged, but damn you saw the good / When everyone saw baggage, you loved when no one could / Laying in this bed beside you, I don’t have to hide away / You see all the wreckage and it wrecks me that you stay,” Smith sings as he brings the narrative to life on the chorus. 

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The song appears on Nate Smith’s self-titled debut album, which dropped in April of 2023. This project finds the rising country star conquering the effects of love, heartbreak, and the never-ending rollercoaster of life. 

Among all the 26 tracks, Smith explained to his label, Sony Music Nashville, that “Wreckage” is one of his “favorites” off the album. 

“I wrote it with Chris Sligh, Marry Kutter, and Paul Wrock over at Chris’s place. And my favorite songs to write with Chris like, are like piano ballads. Like that’s kind of what we do. It’s our bread and butter together,” Smith explained to his label. “I don’t know, I had a couple lines that I brought in for the song about Wreckage. And he helped me really transform, him and them helped me transform the hook of it and stuff.”

Nate Smith Cover Art
Nate Smith Cover Art

He went on to share that finding the perfect melodies were extremely important to him and his vision for this song because of the powerful message that he hoped would resonate with listeners. 

“The back half of the chorus wasn’t quite, it wasn’t lifting enough,” Smith explained. “So me and Chris went through like 20 different variations of melodies to come up with the ‘layin’ in this’ like that took forever to get there. And once we found it, we were like, this is it. And that’s what we landed on. That’s what you’re hearing today.”

He added, “Oh, and the other thing too about that song, the end of the song used to say- so that the new version is ‘and it wrecks me that you stay.’ The old version was ‘and you make it beautiful.’ And so it was almost like a totally different song. So I sent it over my team and they were like the hooks not strong enough. So then we reworded it and that’s what happened.”

Nate Smith; Photo by Andrew Wendowski
Nate Smith; Photo by Andrew Wendowski

Throughout this song and the rest of his album, Smith found a way to turn some of life’s toughest moments into a beautiful expression of hope and wisdom for the future. The collection features a slew of previously released fan favorites such as “Under My Skin,” “I Found You,” “Raised Up,” “Oil Spot,” “Better Boy,” and Smith’s platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Whiskey On You.”

With the surprise deluxe addition that he tacked onto the project, Smith shows off a new side to his musicality as he takes a more hard-hitting approach with his rocker side through songs like “World On Fire,” “I Don’t Miss You,” “Good By Now,” “What An Angel Ain’t,” “Dear Heart,” and “Love Is Blind.”

Nate Smith has gotten the chance to showcase a mix of these songs throughout his time on the road in support of Thomas Rhett’s Home Team Tour. This trek launched May 4 in Des Moines, IA at Wells Fargo Arena and features stops in 40 cities and 27 states.

Rhett will close things out in September at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. 

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Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.