The Tulsa based indie-rock band Wilderado headlined New Rock 104.1’s first Sound House of 2022 on Tuesday night.
Attendees of the concert at Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. said the show came in a fashion only Fresno could provide, with a baptism of police cars with blaring sirens and flashing lights passing by the outdoor venue along Fulton street and eggs being thrown from across the street at the top of The Spiral Garage.
But without missing a beat Wilderado took each distraction in stride, and with humor.
“We’re happy to be here. Hope we live through the night,” Wilderado’s guitarist and vocalist Max Rainer said.
The band played songs from their debut album self-titled “Wilderado,” such as “Stranger” and “Help Me Down.”
Rainer thanked the large crowd present for attending and for “letting us witness some sweet-ass bits of humanity.”
He said it was a chance to see the crowd be good to one another throughout the show, standing beside each other in the same venue.
“It’s a special thing to stand up here and look at everybody,” Rainer said.
Jason “Hammer” Squires of 104.1 New Rock said that opening their first Sound House of the year with Wilderado was an exciting decision.
“It’s good to be back in front of people and having shows again in a small, safe environment and [have it] outdoors,” Squires said.
Elliot Cams, co-host of “The Drew Show” on New Rock 104.1, said that by nature most people will be curious of how good an unfamiliar band could be, and said Wilderado delivered.
“They blew the doors off. They [had] incredible energy for a band that came out with very inviting energy,” Squires said.
Since releasing their debut EP in 2017, Wilderado has toured with the likes of The 1975 and also played mainstage at festivals like Lollapalooza and BottleRock Napa Valley.
“We kind of had the opportunity to come around to these radio stations and do these little shows and Fresno has been really good to us, so it was a treat to come here and play,” said Wilderado’s guitarist Tyler Wimpee, noting how their songs have been doing well on radio.
Wimpee said that of the songs on their debut album, the most intimate one for the band was “Stranger.”
“From the minute it came into production, it always felt like this was going to be the first song of the album. So it’s always held a little bit of a special place in our hearts,” Wimpee said.
In a dedicated message to students who are chasing their dreams Wimpee said, “Find what you love and do it wholeheartedly and don’t worry too much about the outcome. Just do it because you love it and good things will come.”