Photos by: Abigail McNatt
Review by: Chris “Oberrated” Ober
You can call me Anytime, Always and if you do, I can talk your ear off about how much the Wallows’ show at the UPMC Events Center was magnificent in every way possible. But before we get to the juicy stuff, here’s the details… The band Wallows is currently on tour in their Model & More Tour, and along the way was a stop in Pittsburgh (Moon Township to be exact as opener Deb Never comedically found out during her set). The date was February 18, 2025 and not only was Wallows there to rock out for a practically sold-out venue, but also along for the ride was Deb Never as opener and all-around vibe-setter.
Deb Never brought her matching alternative/indie genre’d style — similar in ways to Wallows — all the way to the Moon, er, Moon Township. A long way away from her hometown of Spokane, Washington. Deb set the stage properly with a specially curated set of songs that both evoked this dreamlike state among listeners through her melodies and smooth instrumental tunes and also pumped life into the crowd through a few faster paced songs which featured ripping guitar riffs and raw, yet powerful vocals. In no time, the crowd synced with Deb Never as lights illuminated them during her slower songs, swaying and moving in tandem with her, naturally drawn into the rhythm of the dance. Being the only opener for Wallows on this day, Deb Never had quite the task of literally setting the stage for our headliner, to which she did Marvelous-ly. Before we knew, the Wallows kabuki was up and ready to fall, signaling a night many won’t soon forget.
Wallows has performed in Pittsburgh a number of times now. I’ve been lucky enough to attend 3 of those shows since about 2020, and since 2020 Wallows has grown and developed into quite the performers and attraction. Not to say they weren’t back in 2020, but if you were to compare the vocal range and musicality of Dylan, Braeden, and Cole, you would notice the immense improvement between the earliest show and now. Wallows has grown into creating a spectacle of a show from just an overall sounds basis, but also with lights, backdrops, and crowd-involved segments to excite them in ways separate from the usual main stage show.
As far as a setlist goes, Wallows put together what is practically a line-up of their greatest hits, and even then, there were still some songs left off the list that I would regard as some of their greatest songs. That just shows how deep their discography has grown to be. Starting off this night to remember, Wallows played their track, “Do Not Wait”, which in my opinion is one of the best introductory songs for a concert. The slow build-up of the song, the lingering yet assuring lyrics of “Do not wait, do not wait, do not wait, I’ll be there, I’ll be there, I’ll be there, I’ll be there”. Then as if some musical geniuses, Wallows followed up their slow intro with two fast-paced popular bangers in “Your Apartment” and “Anytime, Always”. Afterwards, this concert practically stayed at this breakneck pace for the remainder of the show as Wallows played all of their best and most danceable tracks for the crowd which kept their energy at an all-time high. Besides a few songs which fell within the more ballad-like style, the real special part began after Dylan performed “She’s an Actress” while marching through the whole crowd up until he reached Stage B where he was then joined by the rest of his band mates to perform a handful of acoustic songs of their own as well as a couple of crowd requested songs like “Canada” and “Hey Jude”. This segment energized even the farthest sections of the crowd, making them feel more involved and active—though from my perspective, no one needed extra motivation, as there wasn’t a single idle soul throughout the entire show. Then as if the back half of the venue needed more influence to lose their minds, Braeden then ran around to other parts of the venue, including the very top and back of the stands where we were sitting and gave 3 lucky fans a brief hug. A moment so quick and simple but meant the world to them.
Once Braeden and company returned to the main stage, they would put on a clinic of a final four song performance, beckoning the crowd to take their already rampant energy and pump it up 100% more, to which they obliged. Following “Pleaser”, “Calling After Me”, “Remember When”, and “I Don’t Want to Talk” which is one of my personal favorites, Wallows left the stage for the typical brief moment for the “end of their show”, which was then followed by the crowd going absolutely bonkers demanding the inevitable encore. I’m not kidding, this might’ve been one of the loudest crowds I’ve heard in a long time calling for the encore. It was deafening. Wallows soon returned to the stage to perform their undeniable fan favorite, “Are You Bored Yet?”, a song that may have first drawn many fans to the band. With a united sing-a-long from the crowd, Wallows bid Moon and Pittsburgh adieu, and the worst part of most concert goers’ nights was here; the end.
As a side note, I have to bring attention to the production of this show. The lighting was magnificent, the sound was solid from wall-to-wall, the flow of navigating the venue was seamless. Shoutout to Opus One, UPMC Events Center, and all those from the top down who worked this show. The experience as a concert goer and simply a frequenter of this location was overwhelmingly positive. As both a concertgoer and a regular at this venue, the experience was overwhelmingly positive. And to top it off as a devoted Wallows fan? What a night—simply near perfection.
Keep an ear out for March 28th when Wallows’ new EP, More, will be released. Audiences have been fortunate not only to hear their newly released single, “Your New Favorite Song,” but also to experience their unreleased track, “Hide It Away,” which they have been playing live, including at this Pittsburgh show. The train can’t be stopped, and Wallows continues to churn out new music and perform for the masses.
