show review: Wallows in Portland, OR
Photo taken by Emma Brockway
Stepping foot into the legendary Crystal Ballroom last Saturday night, I could practically feel the venue buzzing with an almost electric energy, the room filled to the brim with people eagerly waiting to see tonight’s act. Not only had indie-alt band Wallows sold out this show, but it was only night one of their two back-to-back sold-out shows in Portland this tour (quite a step up from their last show here at a venue half the size)!
The clock clicked closer to 8 PM and the crowd grew more and more restless, though the anticipation wasn’t solely for Wallows; spill tab, the opener for this tour, had already acquired quite a few fans among showgoers, and rightfully so. As the lights dimmed and murmurs within the mass of people came to a stop, spill tab, otherwise known as Claire Chicha, took the stage enthusiastically, guitar in hand. From there she proceeded to wow both me as well as the lively crowd with a mixture of gentle, soft-spoken songs (some of which were in French!) and fun, vibey songs that had everyone wanting to jump alongside her onstage! One Kelly Clarkson sing-along and a few original songs later, spill tab finished her set, leaving me eagerly adding her songs to my Spotify playlists.
As the crowd settled back down, waiting for what was about to be a phenomenal performance from Wallows, a steady hum filled the room, fans conversing among themselves. Nine slowly approached and the room filled with tension, as the band could appear on stage at what felt like any moment now (the cardboard cutout of lead singer Dylan Minnette that one of you somehow wrangled into the venue doesn’t count!). Suddenly, the lights dimmed and everyone went crazy as Wallows took the stage, their energy matching that of the crowd as they began playing hit song “I Don’t Want to Talk” from their new album.
That being said, the enthusiasm didn’t stop there! Fans jumped, danced, and sang through every song played that night, ranging from the ever so popular “Are You Bored Yet?” to Spring EP throwback “Pictures of Girls” to the underrated “Guitar Romantic Search Adventure” off of their sophomore album Tell Me That It’s Over released a little over a week prior. The passion in that room was unmatched by any show I’d been to before, with fans having memorized every word to every song and jumping so hard that I could feel the floor moving beneath my feet. At one point the band even leaned into the crowd to take song requests, ultimately ending up performing “Drunk on Halloween,” a song they seemed quite excited to play again based on the contagious grins being passed around onstage. Ultimately, Wallows puts on an incredible show, transforming it from being just any old show to an experience that I think everyone needs to have at least once in their life.
Find Wallows on tour here.