Recently, I went to a Wallows show in Fort Lauderdale! This was my first time seeing them live, so you can imagine the excitement that I had. This show was interesting, to say the least. Let’s just say that not everything went to plan…
I had a VIP ticket which meant that I got a special acoustic session and a meet and greet. For
starters, this venue was incredibly disorganized and we weren’t let in until an hour after we were supposed to. Besides that, everything in the VIP part went amazing. During the acoustic session, they did a Q&A. They were so funny and tried to fit in as many questions as possible. Braeden, Cole, and Dylan were so sweet and I am so glad that I was able to have the opportunity to meet one of my favorite bands.
Here comes the part where everything went bad. The openers, Penelope Isles (who were
absolutely amazing!), didn’t come on until 8:30; For some context, they were supposed to be on at 7. I definitely do not think that this had to do with Penelope Isles. I am 100% sure that this was the venue’s fault due to disorganization. As I said, it really did not seem like they had this planned out.
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for the entire night, Wallows came on the stage. I was around the fourth row in the pit and it seemed like I was pushed to the second row. Everyone pushed forward. Of course, they were excited, but that did not excuse the amount of pushing that there was. This was during Do Not Wait - a slow song! People were pushing and practically moshing during a slow song! I felt like I couldn’t breathe because I was being pushed into the people in front of me so aggressively.
I have been in many pits before. I can handle myself very well in a pit. Usually, there is a push every now and then, but nothing like what I experienced at this concert. I was trying not to let it bother me but I felt like I was going to topple over at some point.
Do Not Wait ended and then they started playing Only Friend. The pushing didn’t stop, in fact, it got way worse. I turned to my mom and I told her that I had to leave the pit.
I was pushing through the crowd and was yelling that I needed to leave the pit. Most were
incredibly disrespectful and didn’t help me out. I approached the stairs to leave the pit and I told the girl standing next to the stairs that I needed to leave. She stared at me and stood still, not moving a single inch. I yelled at her and told her I needed to get out. What did she do? She gave me a dirty look and stood her ground. The sweetest guy that was standing on the staircase gave the girl a dirty look and took my arm and helped me up the stairs.
Finally, I was out of the pit and I could enjoy the concert now - right? Nope! I tried to get to a spot where I could see Wallows, but the place was packed full. People were packed everywhere like sardines. This brings me to my point that they oversold the show for sure! There is no reason that we should have been packed ON TOP of each other, barely able to move a single limb. The max capacity for the venue is apparently 1,300, but that is definitely way too high for how small the venue was. Overselling an entirely GA show is incredibly dangerous for everyone!
At this point, I couldn’t find a spot that I could see them from. I started panicking and crying. I completely missed Sun Tan and Sidelines, all because people couldn’t have common respect for one another in the pit. I had to leave something I paid for all because people were completely disrespectful and inconsiderate.
After searching around the venue, I found a girl sitting on top of the merch table. I finally found a spot where I could see them clearly! Wallows’ tour manager allowed me to sit on top of the counter with her so that I could actually see them, which was so sweet. Although, it wasn’t the ideal spot in the pit; it was still something. I could sit there and enjoy the rest of the show.
The girl next to me was so fun and made the back of the venue seem like the best spot in there. We were screaming together and singing to each other during every song. Finally, that night started to feel right.
Something substantial that I feel like needs to be added is that they had to stop the show three times. They stopped once during Remember When because people literally fell on top of each other on the floor. They stopped another time during Let the Sun In because a girl passed out, and nobody around her was helping - the security were the only ones to help. Then, they stopped while they were talking to tell people that they needed to take a few steps back because people at the barricade were being crushed.
I heard from my friend that was at the show in the pit that a guy was crowd surfing and hit a
bunch of girls in the head. He hit this one girl really hard and didn’t apologize until he was
yelled at. He had to be told to apologize.
This crowd was by far the most inconsiderate group of people that I have ever been surrounded by at a concert. A concert is supposed to be a safe space for people that are all there for the same reason: music. There is no reason to push to the point where people can’t breathe and are falling on top of each other. Just dance and enjoy the show without putting other people at risk of getting hurt. It’s not that hard!
Besides all of the safety issues, this show was amazing. Wallows put on a beautiful show and
were so helpful to everyone that got hurt in the pit.
Here is just a message for everyone:
Please do not be disrespectful in the pit. If you see someone that needs to get out, let them out. If you see someone fall over, help them up. If you see someone on the verge of passing out, get them help from security. It’s not hard to have common respect for one another.
Written by Kenna!
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