Wallows Model Tour Live Across the Ocean
Playing the Palladium in Cologne, Germany
PHOTOS BY MADALYN SCHALLER
What do you do when you're planning a holiday with your family and see that one of your favorite bands will be in the same city you’re traveling in? Well obviously plan the trip around the show so you can see them… duhh! Kinda not really, but it was such a “what are the odds” moment when I noticed Wallows would be in Germany at the same time as us. The flight was already booked, and my family was trying to figure out where to go in just 10 days. I noticed on Instagram that the Model Tour for the UK and EU just so happened to have two dates in Germany. We chose to see them in Cologne at the Palladium, and it was surreal to see the band that truly changed my life in another country. Let alone an area that also, in a way, changed my life during a foreign exchange many years ago. It was quite a full-circle moment.
There were other bands I saw live before experiencing Wallows in 2018 at Union Stage in Washington, D.C., but my love for live music all began with that show. The community their music introduced me to changed my music journey for the better. Now, here I am in 2024, across the globe meeting online mutuals that are some of the best friends I could ask for. We all come together to share the endless creative ideas we have for this amazing magazine, thanks to these boys. Starting out with their opener Matilda Mann, she mentioned to the crowd that it was her first time playing in Cologne that night and they really adored her. Sharing tracks with us from her upcoming album Roxwell, she and her drummer brought a very relaxing energy to the space before the night awakened the liveliness in the crowd.
Beginning with the classic Nothing Happens throwback of “Do Not Wait,” the show opens up with a giant curtain hiding the stage. The silhouette of singer and guitarist Dylan Minette appears before projecting a glistening strobe of singer and guitarist Braeden Lamasters, drummer Cole Preston and their other supporting members Danny Ferenbach, Blake Morell and Kevin Grimmett. Though it was not a full performance of “Do Not Wait,” the big white sheet dropped, and the Model stage was brought to life with the transition into “Your Apartment.” The fans were instantly singing along and jumping around. Minette knew how to work the stage and would make his way across it to connect with as many fans as possible. They continued with “Anytime, Always” then brought back another Nothing Happens classic: “Scrawny.”
At this point, it was time to wrap up photographing the first few songs, and, while being instructed by security where to place my camera gear, the band surprised the fans with “Ice Cold Pool” breaking from the known tracks on the setlist. My favorite song, “Quarterback,” was beginning to play next. I was shown where to check my bags, and when I say I booked it back into the standing room to find my family, there was no breath left in me. But we made it and I got to jump along next to my mom and sister for the ultimate guitar battle of Lemasters and Preston before Preston returned to the drums for “Bad Dream.”
When ending the lead single track off of Model, Ferenbach took over with a very gentle piano solo introducing the notes of the heartfelt classic Spring EP track “These Days” that played into a very mellowed-down version of what is a very special song for many long-time listeners. We all waved that one finger when Minette did, then flowed back into new tracks like “You (Show me where the days went),” “At the End of the Day,” “A Warning” and another one of my all-time favorite singles: “Uncomfortable.” That song just lets everything slow down at their shows. It allows a moment for everyone to hug themselves, close their eyes and reflect on where they are in that moment. For me, it was with my family, and the feeling of being uncomfortable in a new space for all of us yet still feeling like we knew exactly where we were.
Following that, Minette took these next moments to work his way around the crowd up at the barricade for “She’s an Actress” while the rest of the crew was preparing for “The Lounge.” This was the only slight difference in these EU shows compared to the US, since they were back to smaller venues, instead of having a “B Stage” there was a quick set change on the main stage to recreate a studio space look with lamps and comfy couches. Keeping the performance at a very sedative pace, they performed acoustic versions of “Pictures of Girls” and “1980s Horror Film,” and ended that track with a group breathing exercise before they all hit that last note. While preparing the stage to continue the uplifting energy for the rest of the night, Lemasters took his turn through the crowd. Working his way into the middle of the standing room to dance with fans for the heavy-hitting track “Going Under.”
A big neon night sky display of WALLOWS appeared behind them before the single that started it all. Those first few notes of “Pleaser” strung and the memories from all the previous moments from their shows flooded my mind. Standing near the back of the room, I could look around and see almost everyone moving their heads up and down. I could only wonder how they all knew these boys and where they were when their music impacted them. We might not get to know everything, but it's truly wonderful to have created a space where we can welcome these individuals to have those connections. As the night was nearing its end, they transitioned back into the other single hit off of Model, “Calling After Me,” and the crowd just continued to flow. Bringing it back once again, they started to do “Remember When.” Minette gave a little speech about taking a moment to “give it all you got,” and I sure did as I was missing two of my closest friends at this show. I made sure to put in energy for all three of us and jumped around my family like no other. The “last song” of the night was “I Don’t Want to Talk,” and looking back at my mom we sang along, and I remembered she has gotten to see this band that I love so much twice in her life now.
Lights went dark and the crowd was cheering “zugabe” which is just “encore” in German, but it took me a second to put that together. Getting to hear a crowd cheer in another language was very intriguing for the ears. After a few passing minutes the stage slowly began to light up again before they played “Are you Bored Yet?” with the fans taking over for all of featured artist Clairo’s verses. The longing cheers continued as the last song of the night began, and the boys closed the show with “Only Ecstacy.” That song really did bring the energy back to the originally relaxing pace. Slowly, the fans began to flood out of the venue, replaying the songs that stuck out to them most, and recapping all their favorite parts of the night. Dancing into the taxis and down the road to go back home, remembering this night as another unforgettable memory.
Wallows is continuing their Model Tour back here in the States at the beginning of next year. We really recommend going because it is a show you do not want to miss. This tour brought out the perfect timeline of Wallows. Whether you just started listening to them, or have been there from the start, their growth and presence is something to be thankful to witness.
