Love is in the air as Wallows bring your new favorite song (and your old ones) to Montclair, New Jersey
Photos by Julia Norton
Words by Sydney Po
Love was in the air in Montclair! At least that’s what drummer of Wallows, Cole Preston, announced during their Valentine’s Day set at the Wellmont Theater. Unsurprisingly, Wallows put on yet another stellar performance and had us fans truly feeling the love. This was my third opportunity to see the indie rock band live, and each performance has never failed to leave me speechless. Following the Model World Tour they embarked on in August of last year, the Model & More Tour proved to be a sweet addition to this era.
They opened with “She’s an Actress”, a personal favorite from their most recent album, Model, and the crowd was immediately captivated. I knew this show would be a spectacle when frontman Dylan Minnette made his entrance from the back of the pit. The next thing I knew, he was right next to me and my friends, before making his way through the crowd. This was a cute callback to the original Model tour, where he would jump into the audience during this song. Minnette set the tone for the rest of the night, with the audience unaware of what to expect next from the band.
A personal highlight of the night came early in the set, when they played one of my top three favorite songs from their discography, “Pulling Leaves Off Trees”. When I heard the ever-iconic drum beat and guitar riff start, my 13-year-old self seemed to take over my body for those 3 minutes and 50 seconds. This was the first time I managed to hear this song live, so it was safe to say I absolutely lost it. I was not alone in this reaction, as the already high energy of the crowd grew even more electric and the audience members sang every lyric.
In my experience, fans of Wallows almost always seem to cultivate bonds and friendships within the community, and their Montclair show again proved this to be true. Before the show started, fans were passing around pink hearts to hold up during “At the End of the Day” as a cute Valentine’s Day fan project. This ended up being such a beautiful moment, as guitarist and vocalist Braeden Lemasters admired the lights as he performed. Minnette even joked at the end of the song, stating that it was a good thing they decided to play it! They have a pretty good track record of playing this fan favorite, so it was not that big of a gamble that they would perform it during their set.
One thing that I have come to love about Wallows and the shows they put on is the rotating setlist they’ve decided to adopt. They pick and choose different songs to play every night, so the audience never knows exactly what’s in store. I find this super refreshing because it adds an element of uniqueness to every show they put on. This night was special, particularly because they decided to play a handful of their “love” songs in honor of it being Valentine’s Day. The crowd’s energy was boisterous, as we got to hear two songs new to this run of the tour. The Montclair audience members were fortunate enough to bear witness to performances of “Canada” and “Let the Sun In”, both of which made their tour debut that night. I found the setlist to be a good mix of each of the band's projects, with the most emphasis being on Model, naturally. To my surprise, they played 4 songs off their first EP, Spring, which spoke to me personally as a long-time Wallows fan. On the flip side, they then performed their newest release, “Your New Favorite Song”, which garnered much excitement for their next EP, More, set to release on March 28th.
Another nod to the first run of the Model Tour was unveiled during “Uncomfortable” when the familiar starry night sky illuminated behind them. After this, the band transitioned to the last segment of their set, full of their high-energy and magnetic tunes. Wallows has never failed to turn the excitement fans bring to the shows into the most illustrious energy, making the room feel as if it is the only place in the world that matters. And to most people in the crowd, that spoke true because of how much their music means to them, myself included.
As their fan base grows larger and their sound evolves to new heights, Wallows is sure to bring their best every single time, whether that be during their live shows, or the passion and effort they put into their recorded songs. The More EP is sure to be no exception to this, as they have exhibited their talent time and time again. Wallows’ latest single “Coffin Change” is out now, and you can take a listen below while you check out the full photo gallery from the show, linked here!
