Some nights it’s harder to leave the house than others, especially on grayer, cooler evenings. And that was my mood when heading to The Pageant in St. Louis Tuesday night. Why, I wondered, had I signed up to cover this concert? But I found myself there, waiting with a fellow concert photographer in the Halo Bar for the Sneaking Out of Heaven tour consisting of headliner Waterparks and openers Loveless and poptropicaslutz!, still a bit melancholy about being there.
I don’t know how it is with you but typically the times I don’t want to leave the house to attend an event or gathering are precisely the times I should. And this night was no different. As soon as I stepped into the photo pit with the five other photographers who were all mostly giddy to be there, and spoke with some of the die-hard fans who’d been excitedly waiting all day, the cloud over my head poofed away.
Straight up 7 p.m. relative newcomers, the New York Gen Z poptropicaslutz! comprising of members Christian Cicilia and Nick Crawford bounded on stage and launched into what last.fm describes as a “genre-surfing hyperpunk project brimming with nonstop hooks” and “live-for-now energy.” Criss-crossing the stage, the duo performed the stylized, distorted, auto-tuned “this might be our last december” and “bittersweet teeth.” They closed their 25-minute set with “bad habit (dramatic!).” Cicilia did most of the talking in between songs expressing how much they appreciated everyone and stated, “This is the biggest show we’ve ever played” (just don’t look on YouTube for a video where he declares that at a recent night in a different city). He also made new fans declaring, “We want to meet every single one of you!”
Loveless, the duo from L.A. performed about 45 minutes of their fast-paced, high-energy blend of alt-rock/emo/pop/punk. Toss in lead vocalist Julian Comeau’s dynamic stage presence and beaming smile opposite the more stoic guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dylan Tirapelli-Jamail as well as touring drummer Stephen Haaker’s pounding beats and you have a solid recipe for successful live performances. Comeau apologized for never performing in St. Louis (although with just forming in 2019 and tossing in that pesky pandemic, it’s understandable). He also gave a shout-out to Chad, who was in charge of lighting, thanking him for the great job. They performed hits such as “I Hope I’m Not Sick,” which Comeau joked that the irony wasn’t lost on him since he had a head cold, “Killing Time,” the emo-heavy “Control,” and ended with “Worst Case Scenario.”
The main reason for the nearly packed house filled with mostly Gen Z women, the vibrant Houston pop/punk/rock trio Waterparks, began their 100-plus minute set just before 9 p.m. with guitarist Geoff Wigington setting the tone for this high-energy performance by commencing with “Watch What Happens Next.” They then slide directly into “Blonde” followed by a medley of several of their hits.
I’m not sure if frontman Awsetn Knight’s hair and guitar on tours always match, but the few times I’ve photographed him they have. At their 2017 set at The Pageant his faded blue hair matched his blue guitar (he also spoke quite a bit about that show, saying he remembered how people tossed tampons on stage, “We were smaller then,” he mused). In 2018 his purple hair during Van’s Warped tour matched his purple guitar, and Tuesday night, the deep red ends of his hair matched his red guitar. I’d be remiss at this point not to mention that many fans dyed their hair the same red shade and several similarly painted their faces in the same fashion as Knight’s.
Waterparks has become as much about musical experimentation by “blending the cheery pop-punk of their adolescence with hip-hop production, space-y techno, and serendipitous voice modulation“ [2021 V Magazine interview] — as it has about defining how to embrace life and live fully. And their fans take that to heart.
On the fifth night of this 22-day tour, the lights and colors dazzled as did Knight’s smile, the songs and easy-going banter resonated, and the atmosphere uplifted.
Waterparks mesmerized and buoyed every person (including me) in the room and this grown-up boy band has a solid grasp on what they’re about and how to continue forward successfully.
The next time you’re on the fence about going out to that gathering you’d once looked forward to attending, this concert photographer suggests going because the outcome will most likely be magnetic.
Find all photos from the night here: https://bit.ly/Waterparks24cz
Waterparks setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/waterparks/2024/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-53aab3b1.html
Loveless setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/loveless/2024/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-33aaa865.html
poptropicaslutz! setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/poptropicaslutz/2024/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-1baaa980.html
In my work life, I help nonprofits and small businesses with media and public relations. In my what I love to do life, you can typically find me photographing either wild horses or concerts.
