Fans camped outside Shrine Auditorium on Sep 29, 2022 waiting for a concert by the Wallows that Thursday evening. (Photo by Drake Lee)
If you walked by the Shrine Auditorium at 9 a.m Thursday morning, you may have seen a line of people sitting outside.
About 200 people, ranging from L.A. locals to out-of-state fans, lined up with blankets, snacks, coolers and lawn chairs to see the Wallows perform.
One fan even had 10 hydro flasks filled with water.
“I have five phone chargers in my bag; I have three bags of chips, four waters and I got lunch,” said Castaic High School senior Faheem Rahman.
Others, however, were less prepared. Raylene Hoffman, a San Diego State University student who arrived in line at 7 a.m., had no food.
“We do have a laptop playing Twilight though,” Hoffman joked.
The band returns to the Shrine on their “Tell Me That It’s Over” tour after performing there Sunday. The performance is sold out for the night but tickets are available for resale starting at $40. VIP tickets allow fans to sit in the front row and meet the band backstage.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for VIP Tickets and 6:30 p.m. for general admission, but fans gather and line up early for prime spots at the standing room only event.
Most fans arrived at 7 a.m. but some started camping outside the venue the night before, following the Wallows’ performance at the Greek Theatre.
Fans who are dedicated enough to skip school, track concerts months in advance and travel hundreds of miles to follow the band’s tour, proudly call themselves the “swallowers.”
Rahman has been to every Wallows concert in New York and California since she was ten and even flew to Colorado once to see them perform.
Since Rahman has been consistently attending Wallows concerts for the past seven years, she says that she’s spent over $1,000 on tickets alone. Her connection to the Wallows originates in the childhood town she grew up in where one of the band members, Braeden Lemasters, also grew up in and whose father she learned guitar from.
Despite rising to fame through the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” Dylan Minnette and the Wallows have been gaining traction for their music.
Hoffman, who bought presale tickets in May, traveled from San Diego and stood in line for a little over ten hours.
When asked why she liked the Wallows, Hoffman said, “Real slay music and slay boys.” In describing the music, she describes it as upbeat yet emotional.
“It’s upbeat, but I be crying,” she said.
Great music isn’t the only reason the Wallows’ events are so special. According to Hoffman and her friends, who do not listen to the band’s music as much, it’s also the community atmosphere.
About Annenberg Media • Contact Us • Get Involved
uscannenbergmedia.com © 2022 USC Annenberg Media
uscannenbergmedia.com © 2022 USC Annenberg Media