Wallows Pleases Concert Goers at the Armory
Photos and Review by Madison Waldron
Pulling up to the Armory in downtown Minneapolis, I thought I had snagged a spot on the street but realized it was a “snow emergency” downtown from getting dumped on by a previous storm. Bummed, we moved into the parking garage across the way. Believe it or not, this was my first time photographing a concert at the Armory, although I have been a concert goer here many times before. Walking into the venue, the first thing I noticed was the crowd was definitely a younger crowd, but it makes sense since this band isn’t very old either and their music appeals to a younger generation.
Deb Never
Opening the evening was artist Deb Never. Although I had never heard her music before, I was in love with the vibe it gave. Her sound is very reminiscent of the place she grew up in, which was the Pacific Northwest. It seems like most artists from there pick up and acoustic and play this incredibly guitar sounds that any indie music lover adores. Now a Los Angeles transplant, Deb Never’s sound seems to reflect that with kick drum beats and some lighter, more on the pop side vocals in some of her tunes. The artistry and talent of their band is fantastic, and I could really see them releasing some songs that would become highly popular.
Wallows
I was very excited for Wallows. Yes, the first time I heard of this band was because their lead singer starred in a popular TV show, but it seemed like their songs kept ending up on my Spotify Discover Weekly again and again. So eventually, I became a fan. There was quite the excitement in the room for this band to get on stage, with one curtain that had their name on it dropping only to reveal a second white curtain. With a backlight, Wallows opened with the song “Do Not Wait” giving the crowd quite the experience of their shadows playing but still being unseen. This was so refreshing to see a band do something unique to open the show.
Once the curtain dropped, the photographers were allowed in the pit. Now I did go against my rule of not checking previous set lists, and I did check it for this show and found out 2 of my favorite songs would be played while I was in the pit. These two songs were “Scrawny” and “Your Apartment” which was released as a single before their newest album came out. The first thing I immediately noticed was the energy on stage was incredible. It is always so exciting when a band is all over the stage, and it truly gets the crowd going.
Lead singer Dylan Minnette came out in a classic Canadian tuxedo, and drummer Cole Preston wearing a Spiderman hat which I enjoyed. After I left the photo pit, I had to run my camera all the way back to the parking garage, and came back inside to enjoy the show since I bought my husband a ticket to come with me. The whole time that the concert was going on, all I kept thinking about was how incredible their lighting aesthetic was, props to the lighting designer! During the song Hurts Me, the curtain that was behind the band dropped to reveal a scene that looked like stars, and had a large sign with their name on it to add even more to the scene. The colors were on the side of pastels, which I loved since so many concerts use very vibrant and sometimes harsh colors.
Around song #14 which was “She’s an Actress” Dylan, Cole, and guitarist Braeden Lemasters moved over to a smaller B stage towards the back of the venue. Since my husband and I were hanging out towards the back, we got a really good view of the few songs they played here. During their time on the small stage, the band was interacting with the audience surrounding the stage, which made the whole vibe feel a little more intimate since they had an “at home” type set up.
Going back to the main stage, Dylan walked through the crowd again. I truly do love when larger bands get off the stage and walk through the audience, because it makes the viewer feel a little bit more personal to the band rather than some people way up high on a stage. For their encore, the played their most popular song “Are You Bored Yet” which was pretty expected since this song is quite the hit. Overall, it was great to get out on a Saturday night and listen to some good music and hear songs I have loved for such a long time now!