June 20, 2025 - Edited Jan 8, 2026
currently: thinking about how much i love iDKHOW
i saw them this past weekend and. just wow... i already want them to tour again!!
CORNERSTONE, BERKELEY - Sunday June 15
I had everything planned out. For this first night, I'd bought a regular, general entry ticket, and I was going with two of my friends. I was gonna be soo totally nonchalant about it - show up an hour or so early, hang out with my friends in line shortly before doors opened, end up in the middle of the crowd, and just have a fun time listening to my favorite band. I wasn't stressed about getting barricade, I didn't even have any intentions of going for it! That's what my VIP ticket for the next show was for. And anyways, while it is fun to be close to the stage, it's equally as fun to be immersed in the crowd and watch the stage through the bobbing heads and waving arms of fellow fans.
We ended up getting to the venue around 5:30pm, an hour and a half before doors opened. And just as I had expected, we weren't in a barricade spot. But that was because there was no barricade.
The band had changed venues last minute for some mystery reason, and this new venue didn't have a barricade. All of us in the front row were just leaning against the stage. Usually I feel pretty anonymous at concerts, even at the front, because it's so easy to just disappear into the crowd while everyone's focusing on the music. I prefer the anonymity; it means I can have fun without feeling judged, lol. This night was different. It was nerve-wracking waiting for the opening act, Soklo, to get on stage.
Most of the first part of Soklo's act was a blur to me, not in a bad way. They were really cool, and since I didn't yet know any of their music, it just all blurs in my memory as all fun cool vibes. What I do remember in detail is how the singer accidentally broke the headstock off his guitar, and then gave it to my friend after their set was over. We also met them outside the venue, and they signed the headstock for my friend and asked for a photo with him. It was so funny leaving the show with a piece of the opening act's equipment.
Of course, the fun of that night didn't stop with the opener. When you're at an I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME show, how could it?! As soon as Dallon walks on stage, the concept of time and space ceases to exist, and all that matters is having a great time. That's what idkhow shows feel like for me, anyways. And this night was unlike any other... except.
Except for the first time I had ever seen iDKHOW, all the way back in 2018. After my sister had come home one day asking if I was interested in seeing this band that Spotify recommended to her - the band that I'd coincidentally just been getting into. Two $15 tickets and five hours spent waiting in line later, my sister and I found ourselves at the front of a 300-capacity room attached to a sports bar in downtown Sacramento.
There was no opener. This was iDKHOW's first proper tour, their twenty-second show ever. It started with Dallon stomping and snapping to the rhythm of 'Nobody Likes the Opening Band,' which had officially been released exactly one month prior. Everyone knew the words, of course, and we all gleefully sang along.
With two people in between me and the three-foot-tall stage, I was sure that all future iDKHOW shows would pale in comparison to this one. Luckily, I've been wrong about that with every show I've attended since. I was especially wrong on this lovely night in Berkeley.
First of all, the setlist was amazing. I was psyched the entire night. I also discovered the true joy of standing in the far corner with no barricade - I had access to the edges of the stage, past the band's equipment, which meant I could place my phone down to record all my favorite songs while also being able to jump and shout as much as I wanted.
At one point,
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. editing :P
but it turns out one of the touring members, isaac, DEFINITELY noticed how much fun i was having...........but in a good way. o_O
at one point he tossed a pick at my friend and i jokingly was like "omg i wanted it.....are you gonna keep it............." and i didn't think isaac would hear, but i actually think he DID bc he answered my friend about how it was his cat named vinny on the pick. oops (i wouldn't have yelled at my friend if i'd known he could hear me LOL I SWEAR IM NOT GREEDY LIKE THAT..)
but anyways, um. i swear at one point isaac gave me a little hand heart, UNLESS someone behind me was giving him one first and i didn't notice. lollllll idk
I DO KNOW that he definitely saw me getting his setlist!!!! the person next to me was so kind and grabbed it from the stage for me (bc again.. there was no barricade ..... so they could reach it hella easily), and i remember isaac seeing me holding the setlist and kinda nodding at me? idk i thought i was imagining it in the moment tbh but i found a vid of choke a few days ago and HE DID nod at me, so i'm prob right lmfao
and i thought that was gonna be it!!! i was like omg i got the setlist, i peaked.!!!!! but then.
after the band did their bow all together, isaac walked directly to me and handed me a pick. and it felt crazy in the moment, but i was so so so certain he'd meant specifically for me to have it. and afterwards, one of my friends told me she'd seen him and anthony talking about me??????? but i didn't see it so im just taking her word for it LMAO
anyways yeah. i thought it was like, he happened to have a pick left, so he gave it to me since i was like LITERALLY directly in front of him losing my mind the entire night, lmfao. but. then i happened to find a video where he takes a pick out of his damn pocket and walks right to me to give it to me before he walks off stage............like what lmao THAT'S CRAZY?????? but so so so sweet, like wowwww he saved a pick just for me T_T i love live music and i love musicians who love people who love their music
and i FOR SURE thought that would be the end of it. i didn't want to be greedy yk!!!! but I DID have a VIP ticket for the very next day in sacramento.....
and i didn't even mean to, but i ended up on isaac's side of the barricade again that night. it's kinda funny cuz for soundcheck i was in front of anthony, and the band was like an hour behind for everything bc the bus had broken down before they got to the venue lol (why is dallon ALWAYS going through Something???????? that poor guy)
sooo i kinda assumed that i might jsut stay at the barricade? and stay on anthony's side? which i was fine with cuz then it'd be like,, me experiencing the same show from both sides yk.
but we ended up having to leave for the opener (Soklo, hella cool!!) to do their soundcheck. and then me and the other like 10 people who'd waited in line allllllll day ended up all grouping together to stop people who'd gotten there last minute from stealing our center barricade spots LOL (which we secured IKTRRRR)
and i happened to end up on isaac's side again.. which was almost a little embarrassing cuz i was like ew what if he remembers me and thinks im some weirdo who specifically waited to be in front of him again? idk man i have anxiety okay
but then it turned out.. i think he DID rememebr me????????
right as kiss goodnight was starting, i was staring at dallon like he put the stars and sun in the sky OF COURSE. (come on. it's DALLON WEEKES and he was like 5 feet in front of me!!!!!!) but then i suddenly like.. got the feeling someone was looking at me? idk how to describe it other than that lol, i just always accidentally feel when someone's looking at me and then end up making awkward eye contact. so i looked at isaac and he was LOOKING AT ME and then he threw me his pick. and i instinctively Tried to catch it, cupping my hands in front of me as quickly as i could manage........ and then i DROPPED IT. and i vaguely remember going "OH SHIT" and seeing isaac laugh at me I think? but luckily, this wasn't the first time this has happened, LMFAO. (in 2022 i almost caught anthony's pick, dropped it past barricade, and then one of the venue's security team picked it up for me. and he faked me out by pretending to throw it past me, and then laughed and gave it to me. lol) SOOOO i immediately looked at the security guy nearby, and he gave me the pick, and i pocketed that shit INSANTLY and then went right back to staring at dallon.... LMAO
but then. i found a video of the song, finally. and. isaac WAVED AT ME.???????????
and that makes me feel kinda insane (in a good way). like i usually feel invisible, but i think he fr remembered me? and he Waved at me to get my attention before tossing me the pick, to make sure i got it. like i just keep thinking about it and going fuckkkkkkkkkk that was just such a sweet thing for him to do ;____;
BUT IT DOESN'T EVEN END HERE.
after i got isaac's pick (again) (lol), i wasn't expecting ANYTHING ELSE. like, i didn't wanna be greedy!! i know i'm not the only person who loves idkhow OBVIOUSLY!!!! i had my sweet moment where isaac threw me his pick and i was like awww i've peaked again yay!!!!!!!
but then, after they played choke..... i swear ronnie specifically walked to me and gave me his setlist.
i remember it as vividly as if it was a movie scene, LMAOOO. i was watching dallon, and i was like wow, like jsut wow i love this band so much, and i love dallon's artistry, and i've loved every single song i've ever heard from him, and i was just so grateful to get a chance to see them TWICE in the same week. and i was especially emotional because the first time i ever saw dallon was at a tiny little venue just blocks away from this venue, over seven years ago. so it all felt so special and so, soooo full circle for me. and that was all i was thinking about.
and then suddenly, ronnie was walking towards me, holding up his setlist. and i was so sure he'd end up throwing it to someone that wasn't me. but i still held out my hands, somehow. and i remember seeing arms and hands all around me, framing my view of ronnie, all wanting the same setlist i wanted. and then he was in front of me, and he was handing me the setlist, and the setlist was IN MY HAND, and i held it up in the air victoriously, somehow remembering to scream a "THANK YOU!!!!!!!!" in my disbelieving elation. and he was smiling at me, and i think he knew how happy and grateful i was. and it felt like the happiest moment in my life. and then i think isaac gave the girls next to me his setlist, and i was even happier, because they were sooo sweet, a pair of sisters who'd been listening to iDKHOW for about as long as i have, who traveled up from southern california to see them in Sac bc the shows near them fell on the same day as the younger sister's graduation. and then the band was doing their group bow, and then isaac and ronnie and anthony walked off, and dallon was hyping up the crowd one last time, and it was all so beautiful. and i was so acutely aware of how much i love this musician, and of how amazing his touring bandmates were, and it was just. such a perfect ending to such a perfect 2 days.
oh god and i didn't even mention the REPOSTS.
as soon as i'd gotten home after berkeley on sunday, i saw that idkhow had reposted a grid post from someone (it actually ended up being someone that i befriended in line the next day, because we were right next to each other in the VIP line for a good five hours, lmao!). and i had never gotten reposted by dallon or idkhow, even though i've been following him since early 2018. and i thought to myself...... maybe it was because i always end up waiting a day or more to post about concerts........ so i quickly edited a pic i had gotten and put it on my story. and honestly, i didn't think he'd repost. it was, like, 3 in the morning, and the original picture was kinda blurry, and i was so so sure that i'd overcompensated with the contrast and grain to cover up how blurry it was..... but then. the next day (before sacramento) . i woke up to "[solar.cynicism] idkhow Mentioned you in their story."
it felt like a dream lol. like idk. i've just loved this band for so long, and to know that dallon, who's inspired me as an artist since i was a teenager, saw and genuinely liked my picture? like yeah, idk, it's a small thing, but it meant a lot to me. it felt like i was doing something right.
and then, after my sacramento show, i quickly edited a couple pics of the band while i was waiting around after the show. and as i was actively in conversation with a few people i'd befriended in the VIP line that day, i got the same notification. AND THEN. i got a notification that dallon had uploaded to his personal account's story...... and it was my same photo. he'd tagged himself on the idkhow repost so he could repost it to his personal T___T LOL which again, i know it's just some quick social media notice. BUT IDGAF. i really love photography as a hobby and i always have, and to know that someone so inspirational to me liked my photo that much...... idk , it means a lot to me.
i didn't get a chance to meet dallon after the show, like i'd hoped to. but the security said he was feeling sick, so who am i to complain? i've already met him before, anyways. i got to briefly say hi to isaac and anthony, and i thanked isaac for the pick, and even if he had no clue who i was, idgaf lol, i was just so grateful for getting such cool mementos both nights that I HAD to say SOMETHING.
anyways, there was a girl near me who had been talking with her mom so excitedly about how she had never gotten to meet dallon before, and her mom was SO happy for her, and even though i didn't get to say hi to dallon that night, i saw that she and her mom did, which honestly means a lot more to me, because i know how amazing it is to meet him for the first time. i'm glad she got to have that moment, and i'm glad her mom got to see her have that moment :")
after i got home from that show, i couldn't sleep until, like, 4am. all i could think about was iDKHOW, and how amazing and beautiful adn perfect the last 48 hours had been. so, to try and get it out of my system, i edited my fave pics from that night v quickly on picsart, and made a grid post, and then knocked the fuck out.
and you'll never believe what i woke up to...................... Dallon reposting one of the pics to his personal account's story. LIKE WOW!!!!!!!!!?!
i'd never gotten reposted by dallon and/or idkhow, and then suddenly he was putting my pics on his stories 4x in two days. it was unbelievable.
fuckkkkkk man i just love idkhow so so much. can they tour again PLEASE!! I MISS THEM!!!!!!!!!
dallon also said there might be an eventual brobecks show in SLC....................................and if that happens I WILL be booking a flight expeditiously, idc how expensive it is. i never thought there would ever be a possibility of seeing THE BROBECKS live, and i've loved them for way too long to NOT try to take that chance. :")
i love idkhow!!!!! i love dallon weekes!!!! ^__^ !!!!!!
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