Wallows Model Tour Review: TD Pavilion at The Mann, Philadelphia - August 24th, 2024
Words by Julia Norton
Photo Credit: Shannon Sophy
Indie rock band Wallows is currently in the middle of their Model World Tour making their way across North America, and I had the incredible opportunity to catch their show at the TD Pavilion at The Mann in Philadelphia, PA on August 24th. After their huge night playing Madison Square Garden the night prior, Braeden Lemasters, Dylan Minnette, and Cole Preston still kept the energy up for a thrilling Philly performance. I caught Wallows the last time they came around for their Tell Me That It’s Over tour, where the band was able to sell out a whopping four nights at Terminal 5 in New York, so I was excited to see how this concert experience would compare. With larger stages, audiences, and expectations, the band delivers a career defining performance on the Model Tour that proves that Wallows has what it takes to make it big.
I had a perfect view of the whole pavilion from the lower level seats just a few rows behind the pit, but there was hardly a bad seat in the house with the grand scheme of the artists’ stage presence. The evening began as New Zealand alt-pop artist BENEE gave the crowd an eclectic, groovy set that carried the perfect energy to open up for Wallows. Not sure if you’ve heard of BENEE? Of course you have, her song “Supalonely (feat. Gus Dapperton)” skyrocketed on TikTok in 2020, an extremely dancey tune that the audience at The Mann went wild for as she closed with the song. During her set, BENEE even performed two new songs “Sad Boiii” and “Animal”, which I am excited to listen to again when they are released.
Photo Credit: Shannon Sophy
As a long time Wallows listener, I found that there were many surprises the band had in store during their hour and a half long set. One of the biggest surprises was how they opened with “Do Not Wait”, the last song on their first album, and a serious fan favorite. During the opening, shadows of the band were seen behind a white curtain until they smoothly transitioned into “Your Apartment”, and the curtain fell to reveal the whole band in front of the album art from ‘Model’. The stage design was a fantastic element of this tour, with backdrops and curtains heightening the lighting on stage. Other backdrops included a sunset that came on during “At the End of the Day”, a twinkling night sky for the jaw dropping performance of “Uncomfortable”, and a giant “WALLOWS” that glowed through the final act.
Wallows knows how to cater their concerts to their dedicated fans, as there was a perfect balance of music from ‘Model’ as well as their older albums, EPs, and singles. No matter what era you became a fan of the band, there was something for everyone to enjoy during this tour. Following incredible performances of “Scrawny” and “Don’t You Think It’s Strange?”, drummer Cole Preston took center stage to sing the band’s vibrant single “Quarterback”. Everyone in the pavilion jumped out of their seats and bounced around during the chorus, as it was definitely a highlight from the concert experience. Two songs I greatly anticipated hearing live off of ‘Model’ were “Bad Dream” and “You (Show Me Where My Days Went)”. Most of the ‘Model’ tracks were performed early on in the show (it is the Model Tour after all), and the hype built for the album’s tour was all worth it as each song was phenomenal live.
Photo Credit: Shannon Sophy
During the midway point of the show, the audience discovered what the surprise second stage set up in the middle of the seated section was for. The second, smaller stage in the heart of the pavilion held only a few instruments with stands, and quaint lamps to give the stage a more intimate, relaxed ambiance. My personal inquiry of how the boys would get from Stage A to B kept everyone on their toes, especially as the band started “She’s an Actress” and Dylan Minnette jumped down into the audience. Screaming fans on all sides, Dylan carefully walked along a divider between the pit and first row of seats while effortlessly singing the Model track. Dylan continued his way up to the B Stage through the aisle closest to where I was sitting, and to my absolute luck, the kind girls I was sitting beside let me stand next to them in the aisle as he walked past. Having one of my favorite artists sing right in front of me certainly became one of the best moments I have ever had during a concert experience. The song ended as Dylan reached the B Stage, with Braeden and Cole joining from the other side moments later. What happened on the B Stage could only be described as pure magic, and showed the trio at their core as artists. The B Stage was used for an acoustic set for the band’s earlier songs, starting with a chill version of hard-hitting track “Pictures of Girls”. Dylan standing up and leading the audience in an echo of the iconic lyric “You should be down in Hollywood” felt like a huge moment of connection for all audience members and the band.
The Philly crowd had no idea that Wallows was about to drop the biggest surprise of the night when they said that they were going to debut a song from 2018 for the first time on this tour. I will admit, as soon as I heard the opening chords of “Ground”, I completely lost my cool. The girls I was standing with and I sang the lyrics at the top of our lungs, still in complete disbelief that they added one of our favorite songs to that night’s setlist. I appreciate when artists switch up the setlist for each show making every night special, especially for artists with a growing discography. The band finished their acoustic set with “Drunk on Halloween”, then Braeden Lemasters took his turn traversing into the audience with the first half of “Worlds Apart”, a deep cut from Nothing Happens. When Braeden met the rest of the band at the main stage for the final act, they finished the song together as the backdrop twinkled and the stage lights reflected a rainbow of haze…further proof of the pure magic that the trio creates when they come together.
Photo Credit: Shannon Sophy
Because Wallows is a band that likes to go out with a bang, the final quarter of their set included hits spanning their entire discography, from their first ever single “Pleaser”, to Model’s hit single “Calling After Me”, “Remember When” from Nothing Happens, and ending with a full band jamboree (including Dylan on harmonica) for “I Don’t Want to Talk” off of Tell Me That It’s Over. Everybody was dancing their hearts out to the fan favorites, and you could tell that the boys were having just as much fun on stage. At the end of the show, the band came out for an encore performance of “Are You Bored Yet?”, the song that helped Wallows reach their target audience ahead of their first album release back in 2019. The audience took over singing Clairo’s verse, and it was a fun way to finish off what has clearly become Wallows’ best tour yet.
While their earlier songs hold a special place in my heart, Wallows is a band that never fails to grow stronger with each project they work on. Model on its own is a fantastic indie rock album that exemplifies how the band is solidifying their sound and meticulously working on their technique, and to see almost the entire album performed live just made me appreciate the music even more. Braeden, Dylan, and Cole give their all out on the stage each night, and the passion they have for what they do shines through in their energetic joy. If you haven’t gotten the chance to catch Wallows on their Model World Tour yet, I insist that this is a concert experience you do not want to miss.
If you want to listen to the tour setlist, you can find the Wallows - Model Tour Official Setlist from their Spotify, updated after each performance, linked below!
