By Hannah Howells
Wallows brought their A-game for the “Tell Me That It’s Over” tour, with its 4 day run in Florida last week. I had the chance to catch the first date in Orlando, which was followed by 3 days in Miami, St. Pete, and Jacksonville. Die hard fans braced the 100 degree heat in order to get as close as possible for this outstanding performance. The Orlando amphitheater, the venue in which the show took place, is not very forgiving when it comes to heat. The majority of the crowd and lineup space is fully exposed to the sun. This fact alone showcases the dedication of the fans in attendance, all of which were treated to a phenomenal show in exchange for their suffering in the sun.
The show started with a bang just as the sun began to set. The opener Jordana, a bedroom pop artist tagging along for the first half of the tour, set the scene for the evening with some stunning vocals and a captivating performance. I was familiar with her music before the performance, yet only her songs in collaboration with TV Girl. I took the time after the show to stream her solo music as I really did enjoy her set! Her set lasted around half an hour, timed almost perfectly to the sunset in the backdrop. By the time Wallows was ready to take the stage, the sky was fully dark and the crowd was full of anticipation for the show to come.
Wallows opened their set with “I Don’t Wanna Talk”, the second track of their newest album. This tour follows the release of their sophomore album “Tell Me That it’s Over” back in March of this year. The band did a great job of mixing in new material from the album with some older fan favorites, even letting the crowd pick a song during the encore (the crowd picked “I’m Full”). Personally, I was excited to see which song the show would start with as the band has swapped between 2 different set lists all tour. The majority of the songs remained the same between the set lists, the major changes seen were in the few songs swapped as well as the altered order of the existing songs.
The visuals of the show itself were very minimal, but it worked very well for the show itself. Dylan, the lead singer, is very active on stage. He alone keeps the crowd engaged more than any fancy pyro or background visuals ever could. Even in the wide open amphitheater, you could easily hear the crowd screaming the lyrics to every song. Truly, the dynamic between the crowd and the band is what made this show feel so special. This show alone proves why Wallows chose 4 Florida dates rather than skipping it entirely like many other bands: Orlando Loves Wallows.
