With the first day of classes quickly approaching, I was looking for something that would wrap up my summer. Having heard of Wallows and knowing that they are famous for their upbeat, fresh music, I was eager to attend their tour stop in Nashville.
I had never been to Ascend Amphitheater in downtown Nashville before, so I was in for a treat. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation (and mosquitoes) as we waited for the show to start. Once in my seat, I examined the stage, which featured the opener’s name, Benee, in big bold letters against a neon pink background.
I don’t usually recognize the opener for concerts, but this time I did. Benee was a hit on TikTok back in 2020 during quarantine with her song “Supalonely,” and I was excited to hear some of my favorite lockdown throwbacks live. As soon as Benee took the stage, you could feel the vibrations through the floor. She came out in a graphic T-shirt paired with a brown sparkly skirt and knee-high puffer boots. With her hair pinned back in colorful clips and showcasing various tattoos, her outfit reminded me of Abbey Bominable from “Monster High.”
Benee’s sound is so unique that you can’t help but be an attentive listener. Her attitude on stage was adorable — constantly smiling, not taking herself seriously, flexing and doing cute dance moves. After Benee’s set, a big curtain dropped in front of the stage that read “Wallows” in big bold letters, hyping the crowd up for the show.
After some more (im)patient waiting from the crowd, the sun had set and Wallows finally made their entrance. Dylan Minnette, the lead singer, announced that the wind had carried away some of their plans, so they had to make a few changes to their setlist, like skipping their opening song “Do Not Wait.” They started with “Your Apartment,” and everyone was singing along.
After the first song, Minnette pulled out his guitar and the crowd roared. They played a slower paced song next, called “Anytime, Always.” They then followed with another hit, “Scrawny,” which is a bit ironic given that Minnette is definitely not scrawny. After one more song, it was time for drummer Cole Preston to take center stage, swapping places with Minnette to sing “Quarterback,” the only song in the set where he wasn’t on drums.
The curtain initially behind Wallows looked like a gutted house wall. I say “initially” because that set didn’t stay up for too long. I really liked the simplicity of the set, — it wasn’t distracting but still had meaning to the performance. The next curtain depicted the inside of a grandma’s house, complete with an antique sofa framing a window with frilly curtains and a sunset outside. The following curtain featured just the sunset, making it seem like they were trying to tell a story.
After the scenic curtains, one more curtain drop revealed what looked like a twinkling night sky. This setup remained for the rest of the night, eventually revealing “Wallows” anew in big, bold letters.
Before the song “Canada,” Minnette traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one. After a few songs on the acoustic guitar, Minnette took the microphone and made his way into the crowd. During “She’s an Actress,” Minnette slowly made his way through the pit. The swarm of fans parted like the Red Sea to let him through. After he exited the pit, he made his way to the back of the amphitheater, fans following close behind. It was nothing like I’d ever seen at a show before.
They continued to play more acoustic songs, switching from rocking out to chill indie. After a few songs on the piano, they made their way back to the main stage singing “Worlds Apart” to end the night on a bang. They saved some of their more popular songs for the end, like “Pleaser,” “Remember When” and “Are You Bored Yet?”
Freshly energized for the first day of classes, I fell asleep knowing I spent my last night of summer with Wallows.
