Wallows ‘Nothing Happens’ Tour - Chicago
By: Zoe JacquatOn Wednesday May 15, the band Wallows made their thirteenth stop on their ‘Nothing Happens’ tour, at The Metro in Chicago, Illinois. Their debut album, also titled Nothing Happens, was released on March 22, 2019- just over a year after the release of their EP Spring. As of April 6th the album peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at 75th. Currently they have over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify.The trio consists of Braeden Lemasters (23), Cole Preston (22) , and Dylan Minnette (22). Minnenette also is the male lead on the show “Thirteen Reasons Why”. Wallows first got together as a result of their mothers talking in a chat room when they were young. Ever since, they have been making music and performing together. In April 2017 they released their first single, “Pleaser”.Joy Again, a indie/alternative group, were the openers for this tour. After their performance, the stage was set and the fans were ready for Wallows. The building instrumentals and pulsing lights helped to hype the crowd until, Wallows appeared on stage. The group kicked off the performance with “Treacherous Doctor”, a song from the new album with a catchy beat and clever lyrics. They played the majority of their new album including “Scrawny” and “Sidelines” along with a healthy smattering of old singles and songs from their Spring EP. “Drunk on Halloween”, “Uncomfortable”, and the popular “Pictures of Girls”, were some of the notable older songs.Towards the middle of the set Wallows played “Are You Bored Yet?”. This was the first single off of Nothing Happens and was originally recorded with Clairo. During her parts the audience dutifully filled in. The band displayed their diversity in instrumentation as well. Lemasters and Minnette are traditionally on guitar, with Preston on drums. However, during this song, Minnette switched midway to do a keyboard solo.The second to last song on the setlist was “Do Not Wait”, an emotional song about the struggles the band members have faced throughout their lives. However, the lyrics can be relatable to any listener. The song starts out slow, listing awkward occurrences with romantic partners and struggles with parental divorce. As the song builds the same phrase repeats “Do not wait, I’ll be there” a reassuring rebuttal against the unstable circumstances presented in the song. They ended the set with a lively performance of “Only Friend”, and once the lights went off the fans immediately demanded an encore.Lemasters appeared back on stage with only an electric guitar to play a stripped down performance of “1980’s Horror Film”. Eventually Minnette, Preston, and a couple other band/crew members joined him in singing the climactic point of the song- when the girl of his affection confesses after all the suspense that, “She's really not that into guys”.The show was general admission with both a floor section and a balcony viewing area. The band took the time to acknowledge all sections of the sold out venue, and were lively and animated throughout the duration of the performance. One situation in particular that evening stood out: towards the middle of the performance I noticed Minnette signaling to fans in the middle of the song- checking to see if they were okay. After the song was finished Lemasters instructed the audience to take a step back, in order to give everyone space. Minnette affirmed that they wanted everyone to enjoy the show but that they wanted everyone to be safe as well. This gesture was simple, yet it displayed just how genuine the band was and how much they cared. This was an additional heartwarming sentiment, to add to an overall positive experience. The performance was lively, personable and intriguing. Ultimately, a night that will not be soon forgotten.