The Wallflowers Bring Nostalgia, A-Game to Arkansas State Fair

by Julian Spivey

Julian Spivey Photo

The Wallflowers brought an evening of terrific music and nostalgia to the Arkansas State Fair in Little Rock on Sunday, Oct. 16 performing their propulsive brand of what I prefer to call heartland or roots rock, but some would label alternative rock.

Frontman Jakob Dylan said early on during the show that it was a small crowd – though it definitely seemed to build as the evening went on – but an enthusiastic crowd and that he’d prefer to play to this kind of crowd than a bigger one not paying any attention to the show.

I’ve attended a handful of Arkansas State Fair shows over the years, though this was my first in quite some time, and sometimes state fair concerts can be sort of depressing. I’ve never come out of one unhappy with the performance of an artist, but sometimes the acts – though one-time hitmakers and even Grammy winners – can play second fiddle to Ferris wheels, $10 turkey legs and blue ribbon FFA prized livestock. The group of fans that showed up in front of the stage on Sunday night was completely into the show from start to finish, which is more than can be said for some big arena shows I’ve attended, and the band gave their A-game in response.

The Wallflowers kicked off their set with “Three Marlenas” from its breakthrough 1996 album Bringing Down the House, which featured multiple Grammy-nominated songs and went quadruple platinum. It’s one of the best albums of the 1990s, in my opinion, and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021.

The Wallflowers are not just a nostalgia act living off their ‘90s hits. The band released a strong album in 2021 titled Exit Wounds and would perform five tracks off the album – a potentially risky move for a state fair show – but the audience followed along nicely and some definitely knew the songs by heart. One of the highlights of the new release is “Move the River,” which the band performed second during the show, shortly before two of their biggest hits “Sleepwalker,” a No. 13 hit off 2000’s (Breach) and “6th Avenue Heartache,” the band’s first single off Bringing Down the House, which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group in 1997 (losing to Dave Matthews Band’s “So Much to Say) and Best Rock Song (losing to Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason”). These two performances really got the crowd energized and they were eating out of the palm of the band’s hands for the remainder of the evening.

Dylan and his cohorts really seemed to be having quite a fun time throughout the entire show with Dylan really playing to the crowd, including posing for photos mid-performance from the stage when audience members tried to get selfies of themselves with the band performing in the background.

Other fantastic performances from the band’s latest album Exit Wounds included “Roots and Wings,” “I Hear the Ocean (When I Want to Hear Trains)” and “I’ll Let You Down (But Will Not Give You Up)” proving it’s a record I need to get back to and those who just know them from their ‘90s work need to check out.

I got a kick out of Dylan telling the crowd “here’s a song we don’t often play” before launching into “One Headlight,” the band’s biggest hit by far. From the moment this song began it seemed like the crowd grew tenfold, but it may just be that those behind me all rushed by toward the stage for videos. “One Headlight,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997, would win the band two Grammys in 1998 for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. It’s a song that has had a lasting play on radio and Rolling Stone named it the 58th greatest pop song of all time in 2000. It was certainly the biggest highlight of the concert for me, but there wasn’t a shortage of great moments.

The Wallflowers ended their set with a roaring performance of “Who’s That Man Walking ‘Round My Garden” from Exit Wounds.

Like many rockers of his era, Dylan was obviously influenced greatly by the late, great Tom Petty (who also performed with his legendary father Bob Dylan in the Traveling Wilburys). The Wallflowers began their encore with an incredible performance of Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1981 rocker “The Waiting.” They then followed that up with an even more incredible cover of Petty’s “American Girl,” which is my all-time favorite Petty classic and one of my favorite songs ever in general.

The Wallflowers got back to one of their biggest hits for their encore finale in “The Difference,” the third Grammy-nominated track off Bringing Down the House.

When you attend a concert at a state fair you’re not really expecting to be blown away. You know you’re probably gonna have some fun, but not see something all that memorable. The Wallflowers on Sunday night at the Arkansas State Fair was certainly memorable.