It was a buzzing Friday night in Toronto as alternative rock band Wallows made the stop at Budweiser Stage in Toronto. The 3-piece band are on their Model Tour in support of their latest album, Model released in May. At this point, it was Wallows and opener Benee’s biggest show to date with a sold-out crowd of five thousand fans. The venue was already packed with the audience anticipating a fun show of catchy pop and rock music to start the final weekend of August.
The drummer and guitarist arrived onstage before Benee happily came out to the early crowd. The New Zealand singer performed a set consisting of catchy indie-pop tunes. Songs like “Glitter” and “Find an Island” got some of the standing crowd moving. Benee’s cheerful attitude delighted the audience as she occasionally waved to the crowd. She ended her set with “Supalonely,” the indie hit song that had its popularity during the pandemic in 2020. Most of the crowd front to back got up and sang with Benee. It’s clear to see that Benee’s upbeat personality onstage and her catchy songs showed she can be a worthy headliner soon.
Setlist:
1. Kool
2. Soaked
3. Beach Boy
4. Glitter
5. Find an Island
6. Sad Boiii
7. Wishful Thinking
8. Animal
9. Green Honda
10. Supalonely
A giant curtain of Wallow’s logo hid the stage as the packed audience patiently waited for the band to come onstage. The lights dimmed black, and the crowd immediately screamed in excitement. Lead singer Dylan Minnette appeared behind the curtain as a silhouette singing the night’s first song, “Do Not Wait.” Guitarist and vocalist Braeden Lemasters, drummer Cole Preston and the backing members appeared shortly after to join Dylan before the curtains dropped down to reveal the whole band. The band next played “Your Apartment” and “Anytime, Always” with full energy. The crowd reacted by singing to every word and moving with joy. Their setlist was mixed with catchy tunes like “Treacherous Doctor” and slowed-down songs like “Bad Dream” and “A Warning.” Tyler took a brief pause to thank the crowd for coming to the biggest show Wallows has ever done in the tour before playing “Canada,” a song dedicated to the country they’re playing at.
Towards the middle of the set, the band members started making their move from the main stage to the B-stage towards the back of the venue. Fans at the back got the opportunity to see Wallows up close as they performed “Pictures of Girls,” “1980s Horror Film,” and “OK.” The band members returned to the main stage, and Tyler ordered the crowd to sing as loud as they could before playing the fan favourites “Calling After Me, “Remember When,” and “I Don’t Want To Talk.” After Wallows briefly left the stage, the audience loudly cheered for one more song before the band members returned to the stage. They performed their most notable hit, “Are You Bored Yet?” before ending their set with the dreamy and uplifting song, “Only Ecstasy,” the last song from their latest album, Model. The members throw out drumsticks, guitar picks, and setlist papers to the crowd before leaving a roaring sold-out crowd at Budweiser Stage. Wallows promised to come back to Toronto soon, and the crowd hoped they do so soon!
Lineup:
Dylan Minnette -Lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Braeden Lemasters – Lead/backing vocals, lead guitar
Cole Preston – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Do Not Wait
2. Your Apartment
3. Anytime, Always
4. Scrawny
5. Treacherous Doctor
6. Quarterback
7. Bad Dream
8. These Days
9. You (Show Me Where My Days Went)
10. At the End of the Day
11. Canada
12. Just Like a Movie
13. A Warning
14. Uncomfortable
15. She’s an Actress
16. Pictures of Girls
17. 1980s Horror Film
18. OK
19. Worlds Apart
20. Pleaser
21. Calling After Me
22. Remember When
23. I Don’t Want to Talk
Encore
24. Are You Bored Yet?
25. Only Ecstasy
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Andrew Wu is a music photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His work focuses on capturing and documenting special moments of performers during concerts and various events. His photos have been featured such as music publications in Spill Magazine, Imprint Entertainment, and Patchchord News. In 2020, he completed his BFA in photography at OCAD University.
Andrew is a massive fan of music, as he enjoys a variety of genres such as pop, alternative, rock, hardcore, and metal.
