WALLOWSCADE: The Lifechanging Experience of Wallows at All Things Go DC!

River Colosa
Nov 10
4 min read

On September 26, 27, and 28, the annual All Things Go festival took place in Columbia, Maryland. On Saturday, Wallows finished their “Model and More Tour” while closing out the night on the Chrysalis stage. Wallows is an LA-based indie-rock band that consists of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston. They’ve been releasing music as Wallows since 2017, with their first song, “Pleaser”. Their hit song “Are You Bored Yet? (Feat. Clairo)” is currently 4x platinum, and they played bucket-list venues this past year, headlining Madison Square Garden and Kia Forum. Wallows’ success is nothing short of inspiring and admirable, and that gratitude was shown on stage when performing their last show at All Things Go.

While this was my 13th Wallows show, I had never been up in the front before. Since this was the last show, my friends and I made our way to Maryland in the early hours of the morning to secure a good spot for the final show. Wallows has one of the most dedicated fanbases I’ve ever seen, and this is always something that shines through when I go to their shows. Gates for the festival opened at 10 AM, and we secured a spot on the barricade. The hard part was going to be waiting until 8 PM for Wallows to go on stage, but their fanbase is full of super kind, dedicated fans who make the waiting go by in an instant.

Not only was I surrounded by friends and other fans who love Wallows as much as I do, but I also got to be front row for other amazing artists throughout the day. The day started with Carol Ades, which was the most perfect start to the day. I also got to see Bartees Strange, Hippo Campus, Orion Sun, and Faye Webster. Every artist blew me away and just amped my excitement for Wallows to take the stage.

Finally, it was 8 PM, and it was time for Wallows to close out the Chrysalis stage. The sun had set, and I could feel the excitement from everyone around me. I heard their intro that I know all too well, and the lights went dark. Suddenly, Wallows was on stage playing “Your Apartment,” and I was front row, processing that this was going to be the last time I hear it live for a while. The next song was “Anytime Always,” transitioned into “Scrawny.” This is always a song on the setlist that I notice has the most energy. Everyone, including me, is singing their lungs out, dancing, cheering, and living in the moment.

During the songs “Pictures of Girls” and “OK,” Dylan and Braeden make their way down near fans and even down to the barricade. Wallows knows how to put on a show and make every fan feel connected. They’re interactive with fans while also having so much fun playing the songs themselves. Every Wallows show is different in some way, and even at a festival, they played some songs they don’t usually play, “Drunk on Halloween” and “Deep Dive.” This was my 13th show and my first time hearing “Deep Dive!” The crowd was still so loud and singing every word during these songs. Every Wallows show I go to is special in its own way, and that’s what I love so much, and why I go to so many.

Something that has really stuck with me is when Dylan talked to the crowd and said, “When we’re writing the next record, I’ll be thinking about this,” referencing the show and how special it was. This will be a Wallows show that I will think about forever; I love sharing these moments with my favorite band. One of the last songs they play is “Remember When.” Every time I hear this song live, it feels like nothing else in the world matters. It’s just me, my friends, the band, and this song.

They closed out the show with “Only Friend,” which is the perfect closing song. The crowd gave their all, and so did the band. Dylan and Braeden shredded on the guitar, and Cole on the drums, giving such an amazing last couple of minutes. I soaked it all in, as this was the last time I’d be seeing them for a while. I held up my sign that read, “This tour felt like home; 10 shows + 6 cities.” I was so lucky to go to ten shows on the “Model and More Tour,” and each show was significant in a different way. Recently, Dylan said in an interview, “We think more about the people who are actually traveling around and watching us and coming to multiple shows before just delivering the main foolproof setlist we’ve made for the larger percentage of people that are coming to our shows.” And that is why I’ve seen them 13 times and will continue to see them. No two nights of the tour are the same, and even when they are closing out a festival with 19,000 attendees, they still make the show special.

Wallows are incredible performers, and if you ever get a chance to see them, I highly recommend it. Their set at All Things Go was super bittersweet and so much fun. Dylan, Braeden, and Cole truly finished the tour with a bang, giving so much energy. Waiting 6 years to see them at the barricade was so worth it, and I would do it a million times over.