An ‘Objection!’ to Finn Wolfhard’s Performance at Thalia Hall

Kicking off his “Objection! World Tour,” Finn Wolfhard sent Thalia Hall into a haze of indie rock and 1960s nostalgia Sept. 3. The actor-turned-singer embarked on the 16-stop world tour in support of his debut album “Happy Birthday,” released in June. 

While better known for his lead roles in the Netflix sensation “Stranger Things” or the “It” movie franchise, Wolfhard has been a member of many short-lived bands since 2019. “The Objection!” tour stands as his first solo stint.

Chicago-based rock band The Slaps not only served as Wolfhard’s opener but as his backing band too. Described as a “beach-blues” group, the trio — consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Rand Kelley, bassist Ramsey Bell and drummer Josh Resing — provided a solid shoegaze-esque foundation. 

The Slaps’ opening set was characterized by layered vocals and chaotic instrumentation, with spacey interludes bridging the gaps between songs. On the closing tune, Resing’s beatbox-esque vocal percussion joins with a doodle-like bass lick from Bell to create a high-energy, yet whimsical, ambiance.  

Clearing the stage for the main act, green banker’s lamps speckled across the stage lit up with a warm golden hue, revealing a wooden nightstand, transporting the audience into a 1960s era living room.

As they entered, the faces of Wolfhard and his band were obscured by the upward shadows of the lamps. Paired with blaring police sirens and chopped-up samples of old radio broadcasts, the entire scene could’ve been plucked straight out of an analog horror game.

However, the atmosphere was broken by Wolfhard’s strained and breathy vocals, a sound that could be described as if Grace Vanderwaal was a post-pubescent teen boy. Within the first 10 seconds of his set, the biggest shortfall of the concert became crystal clear: his vocals.

Wolfhard’s performance of “Eat” and “Objection!” succumb to a similar fate, with his vocals overshadowed by a groovy bass lick on the former and his breathy falsetto struggling to leave any impression on the latter. 

While his singing might have been subpar, the energy he brought to the stage was not.

Throughout the night, an eternal youth exuded from him, growing the excitement of not only the crowd, but his fellow musicians, heightening their overall performance.

Wolfhard’s carefree juvenility contrasted his own attire. His young adult angst wasn’t hindered by a striped dress shirt, black tie and creaseless khakis, but rather elevated. With an undistracting ‘60s-era outfit, his emotions and music were given the audience’s full attention.

The energy continued through Wolfhard’s cover of The Only Ones’ “Another Girl, Another Planet,” which featured a bridge full of heavy guitars and fast-paced claps from the audience, led by Resing.

Ending the uncomfortable environment, the lights dimmed, and Wolfhard unstuck his feet from the floor, moving over to the keyboard to perform the duet “No Offerings” with Lunar Vacation band member Grace Repasky. Even though they were singing in front of hundreds of spectators, the song was deeply intimate as the two shared a single stagelight.

A soft red hue colored the stage as the light plucking of a guitar reverberated throughout the hall, allowing time for Wolfhard to return to center stage. The two sang another duet, this time a cover of Happyness’s “Weird Little Birthday Girl.”

The pair’s delicate voices danced around each other and in between the pitter-pattering of the drums, before picking up in volume and intensity. While Repasky’s swaying movements elicited images of a leaf gently falling to the ground, Wolfhard’s were more akin to a buoy in water.

Wolfhard doesn’t fare much better — vocally or performance-wise — on “You” as he lets out an unwarranted shriek halfway through the low-key song. 

“C’mon, let’s fucking go,” Wolfhard said, riding the high of the previous track. “One more song.” 

For the finale, tiger patterns painted curtains behind the stage as scuzzy guitars, punchy drums and roars from Wolfhard overtook the venue. Shouting the last verse into oblivion, he fell to the floor as speaker feedback covered the stage, ending his set.

Alas, the audience’s hunger for the actor wasn’t satiated as they began to chant for him to return to the stage. Wolfhard obliged, returning to sing an acoustic version of “Happy Birthday” and the crowd-pleasing “Crown.”

While explosive in energy, Wolfhard’s strained vocal performance and at times awkward stage presence were more comparable to a hybrid Mason Ramsey-Chuck-E-Cheese-animitronic than a worldwide touring artist.