Wallows Rock Terminal 5 On The First Of Four Nights
Samantha Colleran, June 2022
I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m a massive Wallows fan, and on Tuesday I finally got to experience Wallows live, something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time! When I first got an email about a Spotify presale, I figured I would give it a quick peek just to see what Wallows had planned, not expecting to be able to make it to any of their shows. However, I was proven wrong, and they had multiple NYC dates during my summer break so I grabbed tickets without hesitating (also major shoutout to Wallows for having very affordable tickets, it made my wallet happy)! I was lucky enough to attend the first of a four night lineup at Terminal 5 with my best friend Jonathan, and it was one of the most fun concerts I have ever been to.
Starting off with our incredible opening act and a new favorite of mine, spill tab! spill tab is the moniker for Claire Chicha, and she was accompanied by Caleb Buchanan for the night who was also incredible. My only complaint about their set is that it was so short; jam packed with lorem indie vibes, incredible instrumentation and vocals, and even covers of classic Kelly Clarkson and Usher hits (who knew “Yeah!” could sound so good as a ukulele cover?), spill tab is someone you need to keep on your radar.
A little after 9:00pm, Wallows hit the stage to transport us into their world of 80s-esque sounds and beyond catchy tunes. Kicking off with one of my favorite off of Tell Me That It’s Over, “Hard To Believe” was the perfect opener for the night, and it flowed effortlessly into “Remember When”, a favorite of mine off of Nothing Happens. Of course because this is the Tell Me That It’s Over Tour, most of the setlist consisted of TMTIO tracks, but that doesn’t mean Wallows weren’t prepared to grace their audience with other songs from their discography. Remote EP tracks “OK”, “Quarterback”, and “Talk Like That”, and other oldies but goodies such as “1980s Horror Film II”, “Drunk On Halloween” (fan request during the encore), “Pleaser”, “Just Like A Movie”, “These Days”, and “Pictures of Girls” all received positive reactions from the crowd.
“I Don’t Want To Talk” and “Scrawny” were the most upbeat moments of the night, where the crowd really got into it. Of course jumping and dancing occurred throughout the entire night, but these two tracks truly had the crowd moving and it was so special to be part of the wave of movement. Multiple times throughout the night, especially after these songs, the band expressed their gratitude ot the audience for being welcomed to Terminal 5 and for having them back in NYC. To balance out the upbeat moments there were some slow moments, and my favorite track off of TMTIO started our encore. Witnessing “Guitar Romantic Search Adventure” was a highlight of my life, it’s even more stunning in person and it nearly moved me to tears.
The worst part of seeing Wallows was the fact it had to end. This was one of the most wonderful shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing; the crowd was energetic, the band gave their all, it was the best way to be welcomed to Terminal 5 for the first time! Wallows, hurry back to NYC so I can experience the beauty of your shows again!