It’s been a hot minute since I last saw IDKHOW live (think February 2020), so I was excited at the prospect to see the band again. Though now ultimately just a solo project, Dallon Weekes is every bit the talent needed to succeed, and he certainly does so!
He’s got enough clout to sell out a 1,700 capacity venue in Columbus! Admittedly, I was not expecting that, so that means I had a hell of a time trying to see anything. I did succeed in the back half of IDKHOW’s set, but it was a struggle. Anyway, the crowd was definitely hyped to be there, and as my second concert into the year, that was nice to see. They even roared with applause for the opener, who I found out later was a local fill-in. Her music wasn’t my jam, but she had a very nice voice. There wasn’t too much fanfare in between sets, so when IDKHOW and his touring band took the stage, I was happy to have my earplugs in already.
During the parts of the show where I couldn’t see that well, it was fun to people watch from higher up in the venue. Every song seemed to elicit a reaction like they were hearing their all time favorite song for the first time…that’s a cool thing to achieve as an artist, I think. As a not super-fan, it was actually quite funny to watch. I know I have these reactions, too, at times, but age as jaded me, and I keep my excitement pretty contained. The set was filled with a lot of new songs from Gloom Division, of which I was happy to hear “Gloom Division” and “What Love?” the most. Though I enjoyed “Infatuation” off the album, this song played so much better in a live setting! The crowd favorite seemed to be “Sunnyside,” though.
Despite this band being around for a good chunk of time now, there isn’t much music to pick from, so the set also included several “covers” from his first band, The Brobecks. Look, as discussed in Gloom Divison‘s review, these songs are not my jam. At all. So I just kind of muddled through those. Of course I was glad to hear anything from Razzmatazz, but I was especially glad that “Kiss Goodnight” stayed on the setlist. “Razzmatazz” itself is also a good way to end a show. And seeing what was left on previous show’s setlists, I dipped out before the encore. Overall though, IDKHOW puts on a great show. I can confirm that now that I’ve seen them twice. It’s a little crazy to me how popular the band is, but good for Weekes. Keep making music and they will come. I will, too.