Wallows rock a sold-out, sweltering Ace of Spades
Sacramento show wraps up first week of band’s ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ tour
(L-R): Wallows lead guitarist Braeden Lemasters, lead singer Dylan Minnette, drummer Cole Preston, bassist Blake Morell and bassist/keyboardist Kevin Grimmett perform “Remember When” on Friday at Ace of Spades. The sold-out show wrapped up the first week of the Tell Me That It’s Over tour.
April 9, 2022
Temperatures hit a balmy high at a tightly packed Ace of Spades, but that didn’t stop the Los Angeles-based band Wallows from providing an energy-packed set Friday.
“This might be the hottest show I’ve ever played in my entire life,” lead singer Dylan Minnette said, followed by a rimshot from drummer Cole Preston.
The sold-out Sacramento show wrapped up the first week of the band’s “Tell Me That It’s Over” tour that started in Seattle on April 1.
French-Korean American singer and songwriter Claire Chicha, known by her stage moniker Spill Tab is the opening act for the North American leg of the tour.
Chicha and her bandmate Caleb Buchanan sang a variety of originals including the deep, bass-rich song “Grade A” and the bedroom pop ballad “Name.”
The duo also sang a couple of covers, including her rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and a slowed-down acoustic version of Usher’s “Yeah!”
Shortly following Chicha’s exit, the crowd waited not-so-silently for the members of Wallows to take the stage.
The show opened with “Hard to Believe” from the band’s newest album “Tell Me That It’s Over” that dropped just weeks ago on March 25.
The song started with vocals and faint strings and dipped into a soft rock sound as it progressed; the perfect introduction for a band that describes themselves as an alternative rock band.
“Marvelous,” another track from “Tell Me That It’s Over” featured high-energy musicality with sudden stops in percussion that Minnette filled with a tambourine.
After the first few songs, the band stopped to talk to the venue crammed with shoulder-to-shoulder music lovers.
“I’m not from Sacramento, but I really like this area,” lead guitarist Braeden Lemasters said, adding that he looks forward to returning.
The band continued with songs that showed their retro, post-punk sound, the only stage design being six lamps.
“We’re going to bring it up, and then we’re going to bring it back down, if that’s okay,” Minnette said to the jam-packed crowd of screaming fans, leading into “Scrawny” from their debut LP “Nothing Happens.”
Fans picked the encore songs, and that seems to be the norm at Wallows shows. Dozens of concertgoers had signs in tow begging the band to play their proposed song.
“I’m going to pick someone down here to pick the next song, if that’s alright,” Minnette said, pointing to a group of front-row fans holding a sign.
“I saw enough people pointing at the same sign, so I feel like we have to do that one,” Minnette continued as the band began playing “Drunk on Halloween,” one of the band’s singles from 2018.
Wallows ended the show with their most popular song on Spotify, “Are You Bored Yet?”
“We promise to be back real soon, as soon as we can,” Minnette said. “We hope to see you next time as well.”
The band’s next stop on the “Tell Me That It’s Over” tour is in Phoenix, AZ at The Van Buren.
