Wallows, comprised of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston, haven’t been back to Cleveland since 2019, performing at the House of Blues for their “Nothing Happens Tour.” Luckily, the trio graced the city June 4 at The Agora Theater & Ballroom, touring their latest album, Tell Me That It’s Over.
As fans packed together in the pit of the venue, it was definitely a challenge to see the stage setup, a white box with lamps lining various instruments. Nonetheless, the show began promptly at 8 p.m., with alternative singer, Spill Tab opening for the band.
After an hour-long setlist, the anticipation in the air became suffocating as the final minutes before showtime set in. Finally, the lights dimmed and fans were met to the harmonica-infused intro of “I Don’t Want to Talk,” along with flashing technicolor lights coming from the white box behind them. Here, Minnette surprised the audience by actually playing the harmonica, jumping up and down on stage with his fellow bandmates.
It was no surprise to see Wallows move quickly through their set, as they are known to do, and “Especially You” and “Pleaser” melded perfectly together as the upbeat tracks lifted the energy in the room even more. Yet, The Agora’s walls almost seemed to shake as the band transitioned into “Treacherous Doctor,” a smash-hit from their first album, Nothing Happens.
Following the first four songs, Minnette finally caught his breath to interact with the crowd, urging fans to be as loud as possible for the next song, “Talk Like That.” Luckily, the crowd obeyed and shouted the lyrics as instructed, causing the song to go by in the blink of an eye.
A Wallows signature is the live version of “These Days,” the song that helped launch the band back in 2018. As Minnette sauntered around on stage, made funny faces at the crowd and allowed them to carry most of the song, it was hard not to give into the pure fun of the moment.
Next was “Hurts Me” and drummer Cole Preston’s vocal debut with “Quarterback.” The first of the two was a new song fans hadn’t heard live before, integrating a 1980’s synth-sound as well as a call and response interaction between Minnette and Lemasters. “Quarterback” saw Preston get up from the drummer’s stand to sing of a failed love interest, easily captivating the hearts of fans for its three minute run-time.
About halfway through the setlist, Wallows moved into “OK,” “Uncomfortable” and “Pictures of Girls.” Each song was met to a cheerful, vibrant audience who clearly wasn’t growing tired. Fans continued to sing with the band word for word, especially on the last of the three. The line, “you should be down in Hollywood” rang throughout the venue, making fans’ excitement increase.
Lemasters started taking center stage with another fan favorite, “1980s Horror Film II,” where fans freaked out as he was handed three cowboy hats to wear during the performance. Before the track started, the singer mentioned how he grew up in Warren, Ohio, and even invited many of his family members to the show. As his family waved down to the crowd, “At the End of the Day” came next, allowing fans to slow dance with their friends and partners.
When the track ended, the stillness of the moment changed as Minnette whipped out another instrument, a tambourine. Thus, the band dove into “Marvelous,” a witty, vivacious track that many listeners are fond of from Tell Me That It’s Over.
The last segment of the show was by far the most memorable, as Wallows played massive and nostalgic hits back to back. First, “Just Like a Movie” ensued as Minette and Lemasters sang about the feelings associated with teen angst and regret, which then bled into “Scrawny,” the ultimate confidence booster.
Another fan favorite, “Remember When,” livened the crowd yet again and fans were eager to hear “Guitar Romantic Search Adventure” as what was believed to be the final song of the night. As the band finished the song, they said their goodbyes and filed off stage, but fans knew something was still up their sleeve.
Shouting “encore, encore,” Wallows was convinced to play three more songs. “Hard to Believe” came first, a lively song that allowed for head-banging and reminiscing on one’s youth. The band let a fan pick the next song, which was “Only Friend,” ironically the intro track on their previous tour. Last came another wildly popular song, “Are You Bored Yet? (feat. Clairo),” acting as the final song of the night.
Overall, the show was a night that simply went by too fast, a reminder to truly soak in the magic of Wallows and to see them more than once. As a die-hard fan since the beginning of their Nothing Happens era, this new tour was an excellent display of talent and showed just how fun the band is to witness live.
