Tour Life: Behind-The-Scenes Of Wallows’ Two Sold-Out LA Concerts

Mike Wass | May 30, 2019 6:00 pm
Wallows Drops 'Nothing Happens'
The breakout band delivers one of the best albums of 2019.

It’s hard enough to live up to the hype, let alone surpass it — but that’s the feat Wallows achieved with Nothing Happens. The band’s debut LP showcases their eclectic brand of hazy, West Coast alt-rock that experiments with everything from surf-rock to psychedelia and disco. Any doubts about their ability to recreate that layered sound on stage evaporated at Coachella. The trio, comprised of childhood friends Braeden Lemasters, Cole Preston and Dylan Minnette, delivered a killer set and then replicated it each and every night on the Nothing Happens Tour.

Wallows recently rolled into LA for two sold-out shows at the iconic Fonda Theatre and kindly allowed us to document their routines from sound check all the way to show time. They also opened up about the highs and lows of touring. “Life on the road is a weird mixture of routine and spontaneity,” Braeden muses. “You feel like you know what’s going on, but you also don’t. It’s fun to have that mixture of emotions.” How do they pass the time? “Backstage we just joke around and play Mario Party.”

Cole agrees that good humor is the key keeping the atmosphere light. “What keeps you moving and having a good time is cracking a lot of jokes,” he says. “I think that is what kept me having a good time and kept me sane. Hanging with friends, and trying to be as funny as possible.” However, there are challenges. Like dealing with cramped spaces. “It’s easy to feel a little stir crazy sometimes, when you’re in either a tight van, or tight bus, always, or tight green room,” Dylan admits. “You start to wonder what it’s like to be in a home, or if they exist.”

Another issue is eating right. “Eating food is pretty challenging when you’re out [on the road],” Cole muses. “I would eat two to three protein bars a day because that’s what was readily available. Staying healthy, and taking care of yourself in a normal way is hard.” Go behind the scenes of a Wallows concert by clicking through our gallery up top. And you should probably check out Nothing Happens if you haven’t already. Listen here.

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