I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (affectionately shortened to IDK How) might not have known what city they were in until they hit the stage, but Mesa’s sold out Nile Theater let them know that Arizona was ready for them. Their Impending Gloom Tour was augmented by ALEXSUCKS and brought just the right splash of “Razzmatazz” to a chilly weekday night.
ALEXSUCKS has the grungy rock vibe down perfectly with their punk inspired outfits and devil may care attitude. The LA-based quartet’s music speaks to the Angsty Teen in all of us and they won over the room in just a few short moments with songs like “Warm Beers” and “Hopeless”. The crowd was more than willing to participate in screaming “6 Pack and Cigarettes” back at the stage and the band exited in triumph to “What’re We Doing Here”.
IDK planted their own garden on the Nile’s stage before the band emerged to a wave of cheering that extended back to the doors. Singer Dallon Weekes is beloved by these fans and his grin at the reception propelled the set into joyous heights from the start of “Leave Me Alone” and “Do It All the Time”.
The band is celebrating this year’s album release and injected new life into the set with tracks from Gloom Division- including “Gloomtown Brats” and “Sixft”. The audience knew every word of the new material as well, giving Weekes room to stomp around with his bass guitar and expend all of his flamboyant, stomping energy throughout the night.
The end of IDK How shows is always a special moment between the band and the fans, as Weekes dusts off material from The Brobecks to delight every single crowd. Mesa was treated to “Cluster Hug” and “Visitation of the Ghost”- with a snippet of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” for good measure.
“If all goes well…I will be opening for Sabrina Carpenter,” Weekes manifested after the rock cover- and the fans couldn’t think of a better addition to her touring lineup. The band gave us all one more “Kiss Goodnight” as Weekes took a stroll through the packed crowd with his megaphone. They absolutely returned for an encore to poke some fun at opening bands and closed the night with a rousing stomp and sing a long to “Choke”. IDK How’s mix of the satirical and serious makes their shows entertaining, the songs are catchy and the vibes are immaculate, so here’s hoping the band will make it back to Mesa- now that they know exactly where it is.
