By Cami Yee
Date: March 18, 2025
Venue: Rickshaw Stop. A small venue in San Francisco, nestled comfortably near the San Francisco City Hall, Rickshaw Stop was definitely on the smaller side compared to other concerts I’ve attended before. I had never attended a nightclub before and this was a perfect way to be introduced I guess? Inside the venue was very comfortable and surprisingly spacious. There were little tables for people to sit on and accessible bathrooms available. It wasn’t overcrowded, but I admit, it was definitely a little stuffy and smoky upon arrival. Rickshaw Stop served a variety of drinks at the bar, none of which I tried because of the big X’s drawn on my best friend and my hands signifying our under-agedness. They did have water though, which was perfect after belting the lyrics to every song.
Ticket Price: Free! I won an Instagram giveaway and 2 tickets to see DWLLRS. I was super excited because I had never won one of those contests before, haha! Concert tickets were pretty affordable though, with them being $20 at the door. I believe there was VIP available for $50, which is again, still affordable compared to most concerts these days.
Entry/Exit and Traffic: With a small venue, entry/exit and traffic was not bad at all. We arrived around 30 minutes before the doors opened and there were about 10 people in line. The wait to get in was not bad at all, you just had to show your ticket and they would let you in. Although waiting in line outside was super cold, it was not crowded at all. Getting in and out of the concert was very easy as well and Faith’s mom just parked across the street when it was time for us to get picked up from the show.
View: As a result of Faith and I showing up early, we snagged a good spot near the front of the crowd. As short people, we occasionally had to maneuver in different directions to avoid looking at the back of a tall person’s head, but overall, our view was decent. As the openers finished, we got closer to the front, as people began heading toward the bar to grab drinks.
Openers: Sleeping With Socks On and Doan. DWLLRS had two openers which definitely had different vibes. Sleeping With Socks On is an indie rock band which started the concert off with an abundance of melodies consisting of guitar, bass, and drums. Their lyrics were very light and upbeat and I really enjoyed their music. Faith’s favorite opener, on the other hand, was Doan which played more rock and intense music.
Setlist and Performance: I really enjoyed the setlist and overall performance! I really enjoy their music and the 1.5 hour performance was the perfect length considering they still are a small band. They played songs off their next album, Cameraman, as well as old hits like “Blue Spirits” and “Float Through The Ceiling.” Although the setlist was technically only an hour long, Joey and Bren added in extra verses and guitar riffs which added significantly to the overall length of the concert. I do wish they played “End of It All,” I would’ve loved to hear it live! Additionally, they had TV screens set up on the stage with beautifully designed lyric videos that played all night to enhance the experience by allowing people to sing with them even if they didn’t know all the words. The graphics and timing were also stellar, with some of the videos coming from the early days of the band providing a nostalgic feel for older listeners. My favorite part of the show was the last song, “The Nights That We Needed,” which was the perfect ending to the concert. This song encompasses the feeling of getting older and friendship which beautifully concluded the concert.
Atmosphere: The overall environment of the concert was really nice. Although it was in a nightclub, there were a decent amount of teenagers. Also, the audio setup was great and allowed everyone to hear the music even in the back of the crowd. A decent amount of people knew the lyrics of the song but they weren’t singing loud enough to where you couldn’t hear the band. Everyone at the concert was so chill. The staff working the merch booth were so nice to talk with. After the concert, Joey and Bren came out and took photos with all the fans. They were really nice and I ended up getting a signed polaroid to take home as memorabilia.
Merch: Although the merch was limited, they did have a couple of good options. They had t-shirts, hoodies (they had sold out by the time I got there though), tote bags, and hats. The openers had merch as well, my favorite was the red and white socks for the opener Sleeping With Socks On. I bought a Cameraman t-shirt for $30 that I really like! I had a hard time choosing between the white and brown versions of the t-shirts. The trucker hat was really cute too!
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Conclusion: The concert was a really nice experience, especially for free! This concert made me an even bigger fan of DWLLRS and I can’t wait to see what other music they release next. You can find DWLLRS on Instagram (@wearedwllrs) and on all music platforms!