Wallows fans are powerful in their love and dedication to the Los Angeles band and they turned up in huge numbers when the Model Tour visited Arizona Financial Theatre this week. The trio was joined by eclectic New Zealand pop singer Benee and spent a mellow Monday night dancing in unison.
Benee’s eye-catching style caught everyone’s attention immediately and her vocals did the rest- the singer is indeed a star. She skipped and flailed across the stage with her band, treating the early audience to “Beach Boy”, Glitter”, “Green Honda” and more. Speaking to the crowd between songs, she screamed right along with them as she introduced the band and pointed out plenty of fans with their lights in the air. Anyone passively watching was fully participating by the end of the set and it’s clear that Benee is not going to be an opener for long.
The curtain went up with WALLOWS projected across the stage and the decibel level increased exponentially when the band’s silhouettes appeared for an acoustic rendition of “Do Not Wait” as the opening number. Once the curtain dropped, the lights flashed and the set began in earnest- minus a pause for technical difficulties- with “Your Apartment”.
The fans feel very close to the trio of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston and they shouted comments, declarations and affirmations at every pause in the music. The band good-naturedly responded but kept things moving as they swapped instruments and roles throughout the night. They’ve also been switching up the setlist since the beginning of the tour and added in “Canada” (their first time playing it outside of the country it was named for) and “Only Friend” a little later on.
Minnette braved the pit, leaving the stage to meander through the crowd during “She’s an Actress” as starstruck fans filmed every moment and attempted to snag a selfie with the actor-singer. Each member had several moments in the spotlight behind the microphone, with high points of the night happening on “Pleaser” and “I Don’t Want to Talk”.
After an extensive setlist came to a close, the band returned for an encore of “Are You Bored Yet?” and “Only Ecstasy”. The fans were loath to let the guys leave the stage, showering them in applause and cementing their chances of getting Wallows to visit Arizona again- maybe at the arena this time.
