Elina Graham
Eight hours before indie pop band Wallows was scheduled to headline Donaroo, diehard fans were already lining up outside for entry. Friends took turns guarding their hard-won spots, bringing each other meals to fuel up for the long-awaited moment that the doors would be thrown open and the race to the front row began.
The queue outside the War Memorial Gym only grew longer over the course of the day, as the sold out show brought 1,200 attendees to the Campus Activity Board’s biggest event, hosted on March 29.
“I got here at like 12:45. Me and Maya have had this plan for months, since [Wallows] were announced,” said first year politics major Frida Ruiz, who sat second in line with friends Ava Egan and Maya Iniguez, first time Donaroo attendees who were determined to stand at the barricade and have a more personal moment with the band. In between giggles, the trio noted their hopes to “get a set list, hold their hands and see their sweat.”
They were not alone in wanting to be noticed by the band. “I want my Wattpad moment,” said junior psychology major Vidhi Desai, who joined the audience’s screams when heartthrob frontman Dylan Minnette knelt down onstage to serenade the front row during the band’s hit song “OK.”
Many attendees carried in homemade signs and belted out the lyrics to all the songs. “Why are you guys way more lit than our other SF shows?” asked Minnette, before launching into “Pictures of Girls,” where he led the audience in a call and response of the chorus line, “You should be down in Hollywood.”
The Los Angeles-based band, comprised of actor Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston, has been steadily releasing music since 2017. Their 2019 single “Are You Bored Yet?” featuring Clairo, was the band’s first song to be certified platinum and went viral on TikTok, platforming the band to new heights. Recently, Wallows has joined the lineup for both Chicago’s Lollapalooza and San Francisco’s Outside Lands, and the day before Donaroo, released their new EP, “More.”
Front and center in the crowd was Carolayne Lage, a junior media studies major who won CAB’s raffle for a private meet and greet with the band. “I think I blacked out when I met them — I’ve technically met them [all] before but not at the same time, so getting to talk to them all […] was incredible! I showed them my [Wallows] tattoo and we chatted for a bit, they were all so sweet, it was like a full circle moment.”
“I’m a huge fan, I’ve been listening to them since 2017 and have been following them ever since. […] Now that I make big girl money, I get to see them live a lot. I think last night was my eleventh show,” said Lage, who was elated to receive a guitar pick and setlist from guitarist Lemasters.
From knitted sweater vests and studded wristbands straight out of Hot Topic to face gems and silver hair tinsel, the audience’s outfits were as diverse as the performances. Leading up to the Wallows’ set, student performers VarCity SF, Lo Light and Pluto pumped up the crowd, giving an eclectic mix of hip hop dance, original tracks and house beats.
VarCity SF, annual Donaroo performers, brought the heat with dynamic choreography and fire-and-ice inspired outfits as they danced to a medley of high-energy songs, including Playboi Carti’s “Timeless,” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble.”
“Opening for Wallows is a huge opportunity for us, but I think in general just having the opportunity to perform for anyone at Donaroo is such a great experience for us because it gives us a lot of exposure for our own performances,” said VarCity SF’s President, Lamiya Cotton, a senior communications major. “I think when it comes to the student artists, they are really the backbone of what we do here at the University so it’s really special that we have the opportunity to perform and also be able to support them in the process.”
Lorenzo Jáuregui, also known as Lo Light, was a new addition to the Donaroo lineup. The senior English creative writing major released his debut EP, “BREAKTHROUGH,” the night of CAB’s DJ Competition. Alongside his childhood friend Adrian Marquez, DJ ATM, Jáuregui performed original tracks including “Bark,” “Grand Prix,” and “Run The Scene.”
“Performing is probably one of my favorite parts about making music. I love being up there and […] putting together a fun show. If I can bring an audience together and […] get everybody to have a good time, that, to me, is just such a golden opportunity,” said Jáuregui.
Also included in the eclectic mix of styles was Pluto, aka Ella, “L,” Trinh, the winner of CAB’s DJ Competition in February. With bass heavy transitions of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump It” into El Alfa’s “La Mamá De La Mamá,” Pluto’s electronic mixings gave the space a cave rave-feel.
“It feels unreal that I’m opening for the Wallows. […] I’ve just been practicing a lot, but also just enjoying the vibe I’m trying to create for the audience,” said the senior biology major. “I think Donaroo is such an important event to give student artists a platform and exposure for them to showcase their craft. It gives students an opportunity that they may not have gotten otherwise, and I think that’s beautiful.”
“Getting to be so up close in front of the barricade, dancing and singing my heart out with Cabbies, getting a signed poster from [the Wallows], a guitar pick, their setlist and actually getting to meet them [was] lowkey just one of my biggest flexes ever,” said Joanna Farias, vice president of marketing and communications for CAB. “I am so proud of accomplishing this with the rest of E-Board. It was overall surreal and one of the best experiences ever, and just a cool thing to tell people [that] I was a part of making it happen,” said the junior entrepreneurship major.
Hands eagerly waved as the Wallows tossed picks, posters and setlists into the crowd to conclude their show. As overhead lights snapped on, some superfans still waited for their moment in the spotlight with the band. “As they were leaving, each of them said ‘Hi’ and we shook their hands; I of course freaked out and was on the floor,” said Shalizeh Shamskhou, sophomore media studies major. “[I’m] very grateful for CAB, after seven years of [Wallows] being my number one artist, that was the closest interaction I had with them […] the crowd was amazing and I had so much fun. Overall I’m still not over it, that was my second time seeing Wallows perform and nothing can ever beat them […] their energy [is] like pure ecstasy.”
John Lindroos contributed to the reporting of this story.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
