Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming
What an awesome show! You'd never know it was a gloomy Monday (11.25.24) in Omaha when I Don't Know How But They Found Me (iDKHOW) made a stop at the Slowdown on the second-to-last date of their "Impending Gloom" tour. When my co-founder Virginia and I arrived at the venue the line was almost around the block! Even with the freezing cold hundreds of fans eagerly awaited the door time at 7:00 to get a coveted spot up front. This would be my third time shooting photos of the band and I was stoked to hear songs from the new album Gloom Division live.
By the time we got in the floor was completely full with fans and the merch booth had a massive line. I love to see all the support because that means the band will come back again! Since the floor was packed I opted to shoot from the back of the room with the long lens. Before iDKHOW there was an opening band AlexSucks. You would think with a name like that they would really stink, but the crowd was going wild for Alex. The band had an interesting sound with hints of The Strokes, Artic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, The Bravery, and Vampire Weekend. With upbeat indie-centric pop-rock tunes the band fit right in with the Omaha crowd. While they had technical difficulties with some of their guitars that didn't stop the band from putting in a good set and getting the room ready for iDKHOW.
After some setup it was time for the main event. Dallon Weekes and his band stepped forth and broke into "Leave Me Alone" from their debut ablum Razzmatazz sending the crowd into hysterics. Dallon was looking effortlessly cool in a simple white t-shirt, white wind breaker and black slacks with European Adidas. Every time I've seen Dallon he's always got the best style and truly embodies the rock star vibe. This time around Dallon switched between a vintage-inspired Eastwood wide-body bass and a sweet orange four string Fender bass. As a wannabe bass player myself I found myself ogling Dallon's guitars all night!
iDKHOW played a killer set with a good mix of songs from the new album Gloom Division, classics from Razzmatazz, and even the setlist standard "Visitation of the Ghost" from when Dallon was in the Brobecks. This included Dallon's customary walk through the crowd with a bullhorn and a little gospel inspired sing-along. But before closing out "Visitation of the Ghost" the band threw in a medley of "Please, Please, Please" and "Hot To Go" which had the crowd hooting and hollering! Dallon quipped "I wrote all of those songs". It's little things like this that make Dallon an incredible showman.
iDKHOW ended up playing seven of the twelve songs on Gloom Division which was amazing to see live. I made sure to pick up the new album on vinyl before the end of the night. After seeing the majority of the album live the songs take on a whole new life and I have this awesome memory to tie them back. I know I have a list a mile long of "must see" bands, but iDKHOW truly is one of those bands you just have to see live to get the full experience.
iDKHOW is playing the last date of thier tour this eveining (11.27) in Dallon's home base of Salt Lake City, UT. I'm sure he will be giving the crowd the show of a lifetime before spending time with his family over the Thanksgiving holiday.
I can't wait for the next iDKHOW tour, I miss them already. Make sure to check out Gloom Division wherever you stream music or pick up a copy from the band's website, it's actually on a discount for the holiday so get it while it's hot! Also make sure to check out this sick windbreaker that has my photo of Dallon on it. I don't get a royalty or anything but it's insane knowing my art is out there somewhere on someone's back. It's half off for Black Friday.
A huge thanks to iDKHOW management and Slowdown for photo access. Thanks so much for reading and we'll see you at the next one!
