Finn Wolfhard: Screen or Stage?

Actor and musician Finn Wolfhard, who played Mike in “Stranger Things,” brought his tour, “The Objection!,” to Minneapolis in September. As a nostalgic fan excitedly awaiting the show's season five premiere, I thought attending this concert would gratify my middle school self, who loved watching Mike Wheeler and Eleven edits on Musical.ly.

Graphic by Lydia Weber

My excitement leading up to the concert was unlike anything I had experienced before. Everyone I talked to on campus was going to this show for the same reason: Finn Wolfhard’s scrawny little self was a hottie when we were 12. I thought I'd be stupid to turn down an opportunity to see him, but I left disappointed, having spent more money on the ticket than it was worth.

Admittedly, I discovered Finn Wolfhard’s music a few years ago, but I never listened to his songs or considered myself a true fan. So, perhaps I was at fault for not knowing his music when my friends and I arrived at the venue.

Fellow concert attendee Audrey Hackett shared my disappointment. She said she “only knew his Calpurnia songs, and he didn’t even play those.” The stark silence of the crowd made it clear many agreed. Besides an occasional fan yelling, “Finn, I loved you in middle school!” or the cheers that followed his snarky comebacks, the crowd was dead.

The show wasn’t all bad. I am a sucker for live music and a big crowd. Nevertheless, Wolfhard’s stage presence is stronger on screen. The concert made me realize I loved him in “Stranger Things,” but I don’t love his music. Regardless of my understanding of his indie vibe as a 19-year-old art student, I left sad. I’m sad for the people who came to see him for the reasons I did, only to be let down by six-minute jam sessions and endlessly repeating lines.

I can’t help but feel bad for Wolfhard. With a fan base built around nostalgia for “Stranger Things,” the crowd's lack of familiarity with his songs must get old. While I don’t think this concert would have brought middle school me much satisfaction, it did remind me how glad I am not to be 12. I realized I should stop feeling nostalgic for that version of myself.

I love a concert as much as the next gal, but Finn Wolfhard, you were made for the screen, not the stage.