Wallows at Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA Feb 26, 2020

Home > Live Reviews > Wallows at Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA Feb 26, 2020
© Abi Brand

Wallows kicked off another leg of their global Nothing Happens tour on Feb. 13. The headliners have already sold out every show and upgraded numerous venues. Wallows’s debut studio album Nothing Happens achieved 5.3 million streams in the U.S. alone within the first week of release.

Wallows performed to a sold out crowd this past Wednesday at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. Hundreds of fans huddled outside the venue in extreme weather conditions, while a few dozen others braved the cold and rain for more than 10 hours to get into the show.

The band has partnered with a local charity for each performance, encouraging fans to bring donations to the show in support of their city’s charity. For the Pittsburgh show, Wallows chose Alpha House, a long-term residential treatment center for men and women with opioid and other use disorders.

Alpha House has been offering its residents the therapy, tools, and structure necessary for maintaining long-term recovery since 1971. Within just one night, generous fans donated approximately six months worth of supplies for individuals to use throughout their stay. Jordan Coughlen, CEO of Alpha House, said, “Being asked to participate in this event was incredibly meaningful to the people we serve. Individuals with substance use disorders are often stigmatized and forgotten, and this concert provided an opportunity for them to feel seen and important. We are all interconnected, regardless of our struggles and our background. Wallows, a band passionate about engagement and the needs of the communities they perform in, show us just how true that is. Their fans were incredible, and their support was powerful. Alpha House cannot do the work we do without donations and financial assistance. My hope is that more bands will take note of this innovative style of giving and engagement, bringing our communities that much closer together.”

The set opened with Do Not Wait, one of the group’s more somber, yet personal tracks; although the mood quickly changed with the unique guitar riffs in Only Friend. The band played songs from Nothing Happens, singles such as Uncomfortable, Sun Tan, and Pleaser, along with a few tracks from the Spring EP. A noteworthy change to their typical setlist, Wallows played only one cover song, their iconic take on I Found a Way, the Drake and Josh theme song, originally performed by Drake Bell.

Wallows Setlist

  1. Do Not Wait
  2. Only Friend
  3. Sidelines
  4. Pictures of Girls
  5. Sun Tan/I Found a Way
  6. These Days
  7. Ice Cold Pool
  8. It’s Only Right
  9. Uncomfortable
  10. Remember When
  11. Just Like a Movie
  12. I’m Full
  13. Scrawny
  14. Pleaser
    Encore
  15. Treacherous Doctor
  16. Are You Bored Yet?
Listen on Apple Music


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