Every time I see I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, I’m convinced it’s the best performance that I’ve been to yet. This has been true every single time I’ve seen Dallon and the band in concert, particularly with touring members Isaac Paul, Anthony Purpura, and Ronnie Strauss, and their show on July 6th at The Canopy Club was no different. I went into the show excited and left completely confident, once again, that every other time I’ve seen IDKHOW had been blown out of the water.

This show was special from the start. I was lucky enough to catch the leg of this tour where Phantom Planet was opening for IDKHOW —  a lineup I was particularly excited about, as were a lot of the other fans I spoke to in line. I personally traveled to the show from out of state just to see Phantom Planet open, and I was far from the only person who had traveled hours out of their way to see the show.

This show was my first time seeing Phantom Planet, and I was blown away. I’ve been a fan of the band since I was a teenager, but their live arrangements and vocals somehow manage to improve on songs I’ve already loved for years. They told us we were the best crowd of the tour, and in my section of the audience, I could see why. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by fans who danced and sang along with every word. The joy in our little corner of the room was undeniable. I felt lucky to be part of the enthusiasm, and even happier to see that enjoyment reflected on the band’s faces, too.

Once IDKHOW took the stage, that enthusiasm quickly spread to the rest of the audience. Dallon Weekes, frontman and technically the only constant member of I Don’t Know How But They Found Me is the best performer I’ve ever seen live, no qualifications necessary. He’s a deeply talented musician all around, but there’s something incredibly special that happens when he steps onto a stage. He commands audience attention so effortlessly that it’s awe-inspiring. He conducts crowd sing-alongs and screams with a wave of his hand, and can silence an entire room in just the same way. The setlist at The Canopy Club contained nearly all of my favorite examples of these kinds of moments. Moments where audience participation becomes part of the music and the show.

One version of this happens during “A Letter,” a song Dallon wrote for his old band The Brobecks and then later re-recorded as an IDKHOW song. In live performances, Dallon splits the audience in two and has each side sing a different harmonizing vocal line. When everyone joins in, voices all rise together and you’re gifted with some of the most beautiful crowd vocals you’ve ever heard. I’ve never seen anyone else use crowd participation like that, and every time I’ve ever been a part of that song, I get full body chills.

At the end of the performance, I was once again left standing in a venue feeling like my heart was a little too big for my chest. This show may be hard to beat, but I fully expect the next time I’m lucky enough to see IDKHOW, I’ll leave the same way I always do — certain I’ve just seen their best show yet.

This tour may be over, but you can still catch up with Phantom Planet and IDKHOW on Instagram, and hopefully if we’re lucky, they’ll tour together again soon.

All photos appear courtesy of Fox Nichols for Honorable Mention Magazine