By: Carissa Aguirre
The Wallows’ Tell Me That It’s Over tour came to an end in Houston, Texas at White Oak Music Hall. This show was a long time coming for Houston Wallows fans since they were originally scheduled to play last month but rescheduled due to covid. Needless to say, Dylan Minnette (lead singer/guitar), Braeden Lemasters (vocals/bass), and Cole Preston (drums) made it up to us. The Los Angeles based indie-rock band came with all the energy and the crowd was reciprocating just the same. They were definitely putting everything they had into this last show despite the weather. The rain had stopped right before the doors opened, so most of the fans were either standing in muddy puddles or sliding down the hill of the lawn. It was hot, sweaty, humid and wet and I can’t even imagine what it was like in the crowd. However, I don’t think anyone cared in the slightest. It was funny when Dylan mentioned the weather and someone yelled “Welcome to Houston!” It’s okay Dylan, we’re used to it here!
For many people in the crowd, including myself, it was their first time seeing the band live. It’s amazing to see a fan base grow as much as they did in the last couple of years since their Spring album released in 2018. I think it definitely helped that the band’s lead singer Dylan Minnette was the star of the popular Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why Despite the new music they released earlier this year, they played songs from pretty much every album, including my favorite, Pleaser. They even played I'm Full, off of their 2014 EP The Narwhals as a crowd pick for their encore.
I think it was great how interactive they were with the crowd. Even stopping a song when they saw people that needed help. I heard someone next to me say “We love a responsible band.” They were about to skip that song and go to the next when the crowd started chanting “play the song, play the song” At that point they really had no choice but when they finished they said “Ok I’m glad we played it, that was fun.”
The last song of the encore was, of course, Are You Bored Yet? You could just tell that this one was a crowd favorite and the most popular. I am not exaggerating when I say that EVERYONE was singing along. And yes, I was in fact, right there with them screaming those lyrics too. If you like feel-good indie rock that makes you feel like the main character, I would highly suggest listening to the Wallows. See them live as soon as you can though. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up playing bigger venues next time around to accommodate their growing fan base.
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