Wallows performed to a sold out crowd at the Kia Forum as part of the final U.S. show of The Model Tour, and it was a memorable show not only for the audience, but the band as it was a hometown show. Support for the night came from BENEE.
As soon as you arrived at the venue, you were able to see fans dressed in their best outfits, from tour merch to iconic Wallows outfits, the audience made sure to go above and beyond for the final show of the tour. “WALLOWS” lit up across the exterior of the Kia Forum and you could see all the fans taking pictures with the sign. As this was the last show of the North American tour, the band and venue collaborated on exclusive merch to remember this night, I just knew this was going to be a night to remember.
BENEE opened the show and let me tell you, she was a force to be reckoned with. The New Zealand born singer started off the set with “Kool” followed by songs such as “Soaked” and “Beach Boy”. The singer had plenty of fan interactions, fun dance moves and overall groovy music that had everyone on their feet. She was beyond thankful to Wallows for having her out on the tour and ended the set with the smash hit “Supalonely”. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for BENEE.
It was finally time for the show to start, Wallows, consisting of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston were performing in their hometown and I knew this was going to be an incredible night. WALLOWS lit up across the curtains and soon the lights dimmed and the silhouette of Minnette followed by the rest of the bands appeared on stage – opening the show to “Do Not Wait”. The entire venue was filled with cheers from the audience, knowing that they were finally seeing one of their favorite artists perform right in front of them. Minette thanked everyone for coming out to the show and wanted everyone to have an amazing time, the band continued the show with songs such as “Your Apartment”, “Scrawny”’ and “Quarterback”.
During “She’s an Actress”, Minnette went into the crowd and performed the song all the way until he got to the B-Stage that was setup and where the band performed in a more “intimate” setting. Some of the songs performed on this part of the stage included “Pictures of Girls”, “Let the Sun In” and a personal favorite, “1980s Horror Film” where the band brought a fan on stage to help sing along as well. As the band made their way back to the main stage, Lemasters took a detour and performed with fans that were in seats and all the way in the nosebleeds, providing a memorable experience to all of those in attendance.
The entire band was soon back on the main stage where they slowly started to bring the show to an end. Some of the fan favorites were performed during this time such as “Pleaser”, “Calling After Me”, and “I Don’t Want to Talk” the band then walked off the stage. The entire venue was cheering “Encore” and “Wallows” hoping for the band to come back and sing a few more songs, and to the fans request, the band did. They started the encore with “Only Ecstasy” where the band filled the venue with confetti. “Are You Bored Yet?” is a personal and fan favorite, and I think this is definitely one of the loudest I’ve ever heard fans sing at any show, it just goes to show how much everyone loves this song. The final song of the night was “I’m Full”, the band thanked everyone for coming out to the show, and took a bow, ending the North American leg of the Model Tour. This show was beyond memorable for myself and to attendees, we can’t wait to see what Wallows will do next.
WALLOWS
BENEE
Photos + Review by Michael Perea | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!