In Inglewood, the Kia Forum buzzed on Thursday, Sept. 12 as the final North American concert of the Model Tour for Wallows began at 7:30 p.m.
Wallows, an alternative rock band based in Los Angeles, released their first song in 2017, “Pleaser,” which remains one of their most popular tracks with over 177 million listens on Spotify and is still in their top five.
Their opener, Benee, a New Zealand pop artist, energized the crowd on her last night touring with the band. After her set, the band took about 30 minutes to come out, leaving the crowd eagerly awaiting any sound from behind the curtain.
The show began with projections of the band’s silhouettes playing music on a white curtain before they kicked off their 26-song setlist with “Do Not Wait.” As the curtain lifted, the crowd on the floor surged closer to the stage.
Band members Braeden Lemasters, Dylan Minnette, and drummer Cole Preston, who have been making music together since they were 11 years old, spoke between songs about how surreal this moment was for them. Wallows concluded their North American tour in Los Angeles County, where they are from, expressing that this performance at the Kia Forum was their “We made it” moment.
Minnette told the crowd that playing the Forum had been a big dream of theirs when they started their musical journey, and now, just a few years later, they had sold out the arena.
Wallows continued their set with songs from their new album “Model” and popular tracks from their sophomore album “Tell Me That It’s Over” and “Nothing Happens.”
Despite their rising popularity, Wallows maintained a close connection with the crowd during their performance. A standout moment was when Minnette entered the crowd and walked toward a small stage behind the sound booth. Fans on the floor surrounded Minnette, making him barely visible, even to the camera crew. The band set up on the B-stage for a more intimate moment with fans, allowing them to see Wallows up close.
From the smaller stage, Wallows performed “Pictures of Girls” and engaged with fans, including sharing an anecdote about a fan they met at a coffee shop who said they’d attend the concert. They even brought a fan on stage to sing “1980s Horror Film.” The audience lit up the arena with flashlights, singing along with the band as they looked out over their supportive fans.
Lemasters then climbed the left stands, walking up the aisles while singing “Going Under.” There wasn’t a bad seat in the house as he sang next to fans at the top of the stands.
Wallows showed their care for fans and each other during a brief interruption from the general admission crowd, with Minnette pausing the set to ask the crowd to back up and ensure Lemasters returned to the stage safely.
“I promise we look the same,” Minnette joked to the crowd as he asked everyone to take a few steps back.
Wallows closed the main set with fan favorites “Remember When,” “I Don’t Want to Talk,” and “Pleaser.”
As the band walked offstage, the crowd chanted “We want Wallows,” and after a brief pause, the band returned for an encore of three more songs: “Only Ecstasy,” “Are You Bored Yet?” and “I’m Full.”
White confetti filled the arena during the encore as lights flashed, Wallows’ sound echoed through the venue, and fans’ voices sang along.
Wallows delivered an engaging and thrilling concert performance, leaving their audience satisfied as the lights came up and the trio waved goodbye, thanking LA for their support.
