The three scrawny motherf*ckers with cool hairstyles did it again — they delivered an amazing tour.
After being unable to attend the first leg of the Wallows Tour in 2024, I was ecstatic when they announced the second leg in late 2024. It is so rare for indie artists to come to Florida, so whenever they do, I jump at the opportunity to see them live. I had seen the Wallows perform back in May 2022, and I knew this was going to be an incredible show.
The night began with a two-hour journey from Orlando to the St. Augustine Amphitheater. When the trek was over, my friends and I rushed to find our seats and watch the opener, alternative indie artist Deb Never. Her set was about 30 minutes long, typical of an opener, and she performed wonderfully, considering most of the audience had never heard of her.
She began with some of her older music and then transitioned to unreleased songs to promote her new album. As I had never heard of her, I was pleasantly surprised at her personality and music’s relaxing yet cool vibe. Although she could sense that most of us watching were unfamiliar with her work, she still exhibited high energy and made it a point to interact with the crowd. I appreciate when an opener works to connect with the audience instead of playing their songs awkwardly and then walking off the stage. Never’s nonchalant attitude and hard-hitting lyrics prompted me to look her up immediately after her set. Her song “Say,” performed that night, has now gone triple platinum in my room.
As soon as she left the stage, this massive banner with the stitched word “Wallows” dropped from the sky to cover the stage. The amphitheater began to buzz excitedly as the crew did their final audio and set checks. I was getting antsy, waiting to hear the first strum of the guitar, the first hit of the drums, the first breath of their voices, any sign of the start of the show.
Finally, the Wallows banner reveals a white sheet, and the back lights appear. Screams and cheers from the entire crowd fill my ears. The sight was breathtaking as they played their opening song, “Do Not Wait,” with the sheet up the entire time, focusing the backlight on each member. Braden Lemasters on the guitar, Dylan Minette on vocals, and Cole Preston with his usual spot on drums. As the song began to wrap up, the beat sped up, and they switched to “Your Apartment.” The sheet dropped, giving the audience a first look at the group.
They kept the energy high with songs like “Anytime” and “Always and Scrawny.” After a few songs, they took a moment to welcome the crowd to the show. Lemasters personally welcomed an audience member named Nicholas, who was in the pit. He called the young boy, who looked to be about 13 or 14, on stage. He then revealed that Nicholas had been taking guitar lessons with Lemasters’ father, even learning a few of the band’s songs. Minette handed Nicholas a guitar, and Lemasters played a portion of “Treacherous Doctor” with the aspiring teen. To all of our surprise, Nicholas killed it, with high energy levels and incredible guitar riffs. Shoutout to Nicholas; I hope to see him on his own tour someday.
Once Nicholas left the stage and a few more songs were played, drum player Preston walked to the center mic to perform his song “Quarterback.” I love it when he comes out to sing the only song he sings lead vocals for. It is always a great time to see him jump and play his heartfelt love song.
More songs go by, and the band begins to play “She’s an Actress.” I am watching the stage. I blink, and suddenly I don’t see Minette on the stage anymore — he’s in the crowd!
The crowd’s screams get louder as he walks around the pit and he sings. I was devastated and jealous, wishing it was me he was walking so close to, but I was trapped in the lower bowl. Just as my friend Kait and I began to cry, he started moving deep into the stands. Minette did almost an entire lap, moving slowly through the stairs and rows of the stadium. He walked right by me and even stayed seated on some railing by me as he wrapped up the song. This crazy moment allowed me to take one of my favorite concert pictures ever.
The last few notes of the song played, and Minette had a fun interaction with Lemasters as he called him back to the stage. As Minette made his way back, Lemasters began to take different song requests from the audience and played small snippets, including one of my favorites: “Hurts Me.” He also took a moment to read some of the fans’ signs, one of them asking Preston for his favorite pasta shape — it’s rigatoni, just in case you were wondering.
Eventually, they performed their last few songs and wrapped up for the night. If you are an avid concertgoer like myself, you know there is always more. With much encouragement from the audience, the band returned for an encore with their most popular song, “Are You Bored Yet? ft. Clairo.” Even though Clairo wasn’t there herself, despite my delusional hope that she would come to this random show in Florida to perform with them, they had the audience sing her part. The last song of the night was “Only Ecstasy.”
With final screams from the crowd and the audience, the Wallows exited the stage for the last time.
With such a fantastic setlist, stage presence, and scene setup, the Wallows’ Model + More tour is among the top five concerts I have ever attended. Although I preferred the music from the Tell Me That It’s Over Tour from the first time I saw them in 2022, I appreciated the blend of old and new songs they played during this tour. The overall energy and crowd work were better than when I saw them three years ago. Their growth as a group, as their fan base and stadium size increase, can be seen in their confidence while they play.
Wallows continues to play in bigger stadiums each time they visit Florida and always have a full house. As they continue to tour around the world and release new music, I hope to see them again. If you have ever been on the fence about seeing them live, I absolutely recommend it. I’m already preparing myself to fight the bots on Ticketmaster for my tickets when they announce their next tour.