Joywave and iDKHOW bring gimmicks and “cool guy” energy to The Granada

September 1, 2022

Hannah Strader,

iDKHOW. // Photo by Hannah Strader

Alt listeners of all ages filled the floor of The Granada on Tuesday night in anticipation of the Welcome to Hellvetica tour—an appropriate name for a co-headliner featuring musicians that became popular in the 2010s. Fans stood in line for Joywave and I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (iDKHOW), but anyone who arrived early was treated to a folk rock performance by Nashville songstress Savannah Conley. The audience was rapt with attention as she belted into the mic, strumming heavily on her guitar while a band backed her up.

As the crowd started to fill out, instruments were removed to make way for a prop Corvette with a “JOYWAVE” license plate. Their newest album Cleanse—a reference to a lyric from their single “Every Window is a Mirror”—follows the theme of a carwash. The band came out in full uniform, complete with reflective fabric and custom logos on the back. The Corvette’s headlights changed in tandem with the stage lighting while lead vocalist Daniel Armbruster paced his way around the stage.

As Joywave wrapped up their set, the crowd started to push closer to the monitors in anticipation of Dallon Weekes and the rest of iDKHOW. Folks in the pit began to chatter and gawk as instruments and mics were tested. When the lights went down, the crowd decibels shot up.

Dallon exuded “cool guy” energy with a rumpled button-up paired with bright yellow shorts—a combo that probably wouldn’t have worked on anyone else. As the former bassist of Panic! At The Disco, being the “cool guy” has probably become his schtick.

“If you want to sing along to this next song, I wouldn’t blame you,” he tells the audience, pushing his sweaty hair from his face. “I wouldn’t blame you one bit,” he repeats.

The audience ate it up. He knew they would. With his high-range vocals and catchy drum beats reminiscent of the pop-punk era in which he grew up, iDKHOW was definitely the favored contender of the co-headliner, as confirmed by the energy in the room.

Savannah Conley