Wallows "Model" Tour Texas Leg: Austin, Dallas, & Houston

 August 15th, 16th, and 17th

I was considering waiting a bit longer and writing this post after their first leg of their U.S. tour was completely over, but I feel like I will have so much more to expand on after September 12th, and that in itself could have its own blog post... if you get what I'm saying here ;)

I think it is heavily apparent to anyone who follows me on social media or interacts with me in any capacity in real life that Wallows are my favorite band of all time. I have been a casual listener for about 5 years now, but I got really invested with the release of the singles leading up to Remote in 2020 and never slowed back down. I am (obviously) a sucker for a good live show, and Wallows do it better than just about anybody else. The music is incredible, the production is incredible, and they put so much time and thought into every moving aspect of the concert so that the audience can have the best experience each night. I had plans to see them for the grand opening of the Hi-Fi in Dallas in 2020, which was inevitably cancelled along with everything else that year. I also attended one official stop on the Tell Me That it's Over tour in the summer of 2022, which I think is what really solidified everything into place for me as a fan. That was the single hottest show I have ever been to, the most I have ever sweat in my life, and they still put on one of the most memorable performances I have ever seen. I love when artists are intentional with their tour production and stage sets, which Wallows always are, and I love a rotating setlist more than just about anything else. Living in Texas, it is pretty easy to hop "on tour" with your favorite artist and follow them through the state. Most artists will play at least two or three Texas shows on a full-length North American tour, and if you leave the show Thursday night feeling like your life changed, you can pretty easily wake up Friday morning and acquire tickets for another show that's within road tripping distance from your hometown. However, stamina and energy wise, attending three live shows three days in a row take a lot out of you if you're truly into the music.

Hinterland 2023

I went to three Model Tour dates last weekend and I have been limping through the week with a massive bruise on the bottom of my foot. Which, of course, I got from jumping so much on concrete flooring in my converse three nights in a row. I'd do it again every weekend for the rest of the year if I could.

I saw Wallows do two festival sets in the transition between albums/tours in 2022 and 2023. They played Austin City Limits in 2022, which was one of my favorite setlists I've ever seen them play, and they played Hinterland Music Festival in 2023, which was one of the very last shows they played before the release of Model. I still actively credit that day at Hinterland to be the best day of my life because of how good the artist lineup was for the day I attended, but seeing Wallows that close to the end of their tour cycle was what drove me and my sister to book that trip.

Again, anyone who follows me on social media has probably been made well aware of the few additional stops

Listening Party in April

I made to see them before the Model tour officially began. I attended the first official listening party of the album hosted by the band pre-release in Austin with my friend Mia, who I love and adore so very much and could not have attended without, and we were blown away by the album in April. We had to wait almost 8 weeks before the album was fully released anywhere (which felt like the longest I've waited for anything in my life) and then the band's small tour promoting the album to radio stations began. I won the contest to meet Wallows for KRBE in Houston in July, which the station promptly revoked after a phone call asking for the Houston address on my driver's license... (which was not stated anywhere in the rules for the contest, because I would not have entered if that was the case... boo KRBE). But! My sisters and I still managed to attend the performance and interview portion of that event. They have been promoting this album like crazy since before it was even announced, so the anticipation for the tour itself was built up for months for their fans. I was so excited before the tickets were even in my possession, and the excitement just escalated dramatically from there as August 15th inched closer.

They were not done doing radio shows. They kept adding little pop ups in cities they would be playing on the tour, so my sisters, some friends, and I all entered to see them play a few acoustic songs before the actual concert in 2/3 of the Texas cities. We won the contest through Kiss.FM in Dallas, so I wound up seeing Wallows four times over the span of three days.

The shows themselves went above and beyond anything I could have expected. I bought a regular pit ticket for Austin, which was the first night of the "Texas leg" of the tour, and we wound up probably in the first third of the general admission sections that night. The visuals for this show are stadium worthy, between the lighting, the B-stage set, and all of the curtain drops, they had the crowd gasping every time something changed between songs. I have always really admired Wallows for their ability to consider how to make the experience the best for every single person in the room, and it was apparent they really considered what fans would want with these shows. They sent out a Google form for fans to fill out and request songs, they performed a perfect blend of old and new material, and they were very intentional about interacting with fans all over the arena. I loved being in the middle of the pit for the first night because I got to see what they did on the main stage vs. the B stage and decide where I would want to be for my following shows at different points of the set. My friends ran around the room, back and forth, and we had all the room we needed to dance and jump and sing through all 24 songs they played.

Sisters on barricade!

For night two, which was Dallas, my sisters and I had purchased the (pricy) VIP tickets with the intentions to be as close to the front as we could. Toyota Music Factory implemented a strict policy of numbered wristbands for all levels of VIP tickets and general admission tickets for that morning, so that no one would have to wait in the heat during the day leading up to the show. There were definitely a few kinks in the system, but this was ultimately our saving grace for the entire day. We had time to rest, go to the radio show event, and stay out of the heat before going into the Pavillion, which was open due to lawn seating being sold. This was also one of the hottest shows I've ever attended, but we did manage to be front row, which tends to help with heat.

I will say right off the bat that this may take first place for my favorite concert I have ever attended. I know that is a huge claim to be making for someone who is as passionate about live music as I am, but this show had so many good things going for it. I went with my two little sisters, who are my favorite people the world. It was Elli's first real Wallows show (she had attended both radio events with me through this summer, but this was her first full set in a real concert venue). The setlist was amazing, the energy of the barricade was amazing, and we came home with a small haul of goodies (Dylan's setlist, Kevin's setlist, and Dylan's guitar pick). There were some people in the crowd who evidently weren't there for the music in the same way we were, but it would have been nearly impossible to ruin that moment for us. We have been waiting for almost two years for the chance to all three attend a Wallows show together, and being front row with my sisters is always one of my favorite things in the world... and of course, Wallows being there was a major plus for everyone involved. ;)

Bryna and I bought nosebleeds for Houston in between the radio event and the concert the day before. We didn't want to spend a ton of money, and we both decided it would be worth it to be anywhere in the room so we could experience another night of the tour. We found out that morning that the general admission tickets had been listed on the venue's website for about the same price as our resale nosebleeds, which was a bit discouraging after we already spent our money. We tried (and failed) to upgrade our tickets at box office, but we decided the seats in the 300s would still be cool because of how fun Wallows shows are visually. The pep talks worked, but they weren't necessary for very long, because the venue upgraded our tickets for free when we got inside. That was one of the smallest general admission pits I have ever been in. We stayed in the back few rows for most of the set and were still only about 8 rows back. We ran to be closer for the B stage, danced in the very last row, and had another successful night in the back of the pit.

I will say, I am usually a bit of a seat snob when it comes to concerts. I love to be able to move around and get into the music, and I typically feel restricted or awkward if I am in a seat or if I can't see much of the stage. I don't think it would have mattered where I was in the room for any of these shows. The energy from the stage is strong enough to reach every corner of each arena they have played. I have never had so much fun in the very back of a crowd in my life. I am aware there is a slight bias to this, because I am talking about seeing my favorite band of all time on the first leg of their world tour, but I do genuinely believe their live shows are what locked them in as my number one favorite a few years ago. There is not a song on their setlist that I wouldn't bruise the bottoms of my feet jumping to. The amount of thought and attention an artist pours into their live shows is something that never goes unnoticed to fans. They each put their individual personalities on display through the music and their performances each night, and each member brings something unique and necessary to the show. I experience little to no pre-show anxiety when it comes to Wallows, too, because I know no matter where I am or what happens, I am going to have the time of my life in that venue. There's been no difference in the feeling from my first Wallows show to my 8th... (yeah... I know). I have been so overjoyed with the experience every time that I don't have room for my typical anxieties, which is something so rare and incredible to me that I will always chase that feeling. There's truly nothing like a Wallows show.

Their tour is far from over! The first North American leg ends in Los Angeles on September 12th (wink wink) and they go Europe from there, but they have already hinted at a second leg of U.S. touring for 2025... and they'll always come back to Texas.

Wallows Weekend "Haul" :)

This album release and tour roll out has been one of my favorite "fangirl" experiences to date. I can't wait for it to continue and to see where else they go with this era. Model era's going by fast, but it's just begun!!