Concert Review: Waterparks- The Prowler Tour in Houston

Chantal Charles
8 minutes ago
5 min read

Waterparks performance photo at The Prowler Tour Houston

Photo Credits: Julianna Brooks

The Texas trio Waterparks consisting of lead singer and guitarist Awsten Knight, lead guitarist Geoff Wigington, and drummer Otto Wood, is back on the road with their new thrilling show, The Prowler Tour. Their sold-out Houston date at House of Blues Houston left fans enamoured by the band's willingness to always overfill expectations. As the Houston show was the hometown show, fans from all over traveled for this specific date which left everyone feeling joyous and comforted by familiar faces. The night consisted of screaming, crowd surfing, circle pits and more, creating a space of pure chaos for fans to completely unwind while singing along to their favorite songs.

If there's one thing to expect from a Waterparks show, it's a loyal fan base that is willing to camp out too early for a show. While it may seem a little boring to wait outside in the Texas heat for long hours, this is where the community aspect of this fanbase begins to awaken. Internet friends get to talk to each other in real life and crafters go along the line giving free gifts to other fans. It's a sweet aspect of concert culture that makes the long day move quickly. One thing that never changes about a Waterparks tour is the existence of the VIP meet & greet portion of the show. Lasting from 3 PM to 6 PM, the band always makes an effort to not rush, chat with and earnestly listen to each fan, which not every artist is willing to do on every tour. "Ahhhhh I'm so scared ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!" "Wow not bad," "Hi," were the replies from the band when asked for a comment. As odd as these quotes are, any Waterparks fan will understand how on brand these comments are, even down to Awsten Knight expressing he wanted 17 exclamation points for his comment.

After anxiously waiting for the VIP portion to end and for doors to open, our first opening act of the night, Jhariah, instantly shines bright and makes such an impactful impression that you're left itching to save their entire discography in your library. Jhariah's theatrical style fits in with the lineup perfectly and their music left the audience fully energized and prepared for the next act who has an equal knack for dramatics. I Don't Know How But They Found, fronted by legendary Dallon Weekes, was our second opener of the night. IDKHOW is always a pleasure to see live, maintaining the vibrance of the previous set with fan favorites like "Choke" and "Do It All the Time." What was also nice to see is IDKHOW bringing out Jhariah to perform with them on their classic "Nobody Likes the Opening Band." A nice way to bring the two acts together before the audience enters their final wave of suspense.

With two sensational opening acts, the crowd starts to feel hot and exhausted. Those fans who have been waiting since the early hours of the day are beginning to question their actions. You ask yourself, "Is there any energy left in me to keep dancing?" This question is immediately answered when all the lights go off. As soon as music begins you find your mind in a colorful trance, and you're reminded of why you committed to waiting for so long. The band begins their night with "Blonde," lead single from their sophomore album Entertainment, and it immediately electrifies the audience. With this tour, the band has taken a more structured approach, naming it "The Waterparks Show" which is a trend we've seen other artists implement in their live shows. For the Prowler Tour, Waterparks has sectioned off their set into chapters; happiness, sadness, anticipation, and anger. To separate each section, pre-filmed transitions were implemented. After their three song intro, the band began their happiness section with the band's classic "Stupid for You" and ended with "Funeral Grey." During this section the fans were given the option to choose between "Peach (Lobotomy)" and "Telephone" and the former was the clear winner. Throughout the setlist there were multiple chances for fans to vote between two songs to be played that night. This idea is not necessarily new for a Waterparks show, however the abundance of it throughout the night really sold the interactive nature that Waterparks is playing with.

Moving on to the sadness section, fans chose "Not Warriors" over "Gloom Boys" which was to be expected considering "Not Warriors" is a strong fan favorite as it gives the audience the chance to scream the lyric "I think you saved my life" as loud as they can. In between the sadness and anticipation chapters, the band included an acoustic section that consisted of surprise songs "Snow Globe" and "You'd Be Paranoid To (If Everyone Was Out to Get You)." Additionally, the song "21 Questions" won over "Lucky People." During the anticipation chapter, the band performed their two most recent releases "If Lyrics Were Confidential" and "Red Guitar," along with two unreleased songs "Prowler" and "Any Minute Now" that will be featured in their upcoming album that's still in the works. Having a whole section dedicated to this future release is a great way to get fans excited and anxious for the future of the band. During anger we heard an older fan favorite "Tantrum," along with "Real Super Dark" and "Turbulent," but the night ended with "Like It," a song from the band's 2021 album Greatest Hits. A surprising way for the band to close out the show, a happy surprise of course, and this led to a wave of crowd surfers, and you can't pick a better way to end the night.

When thinking about what makes a waterparks concert so great, it comes down to a combination of attention to detail and the encouragement of unapologetic chaos. We see this in the set with the enthralling visualizers complimented by the immersive light show and the specific musical arrangements shifted for a live performance that allows for fans to fall in love with the music all over again. The chaos aspect is very true to the bands nature, they know how to play along with the audience whether it's asking them to cheer on certain members of their crew or singling out fans to record special messages for other members of the band. This being the hometown show made it extra special and you can feel that energy in the air from all sides to make sure this show is the best it can be. If you ever wonder why Waterparks has a fanbase that's so loyal, it's because they put in 110% effort to make sure this is the best night of anyone's life, whether you're a longtime fan, a newer fan, or someone who got convinced to go at the last second. So, if you think you need a night to express all your pent up emotions and to listen to sensational music, pick up a ticket to the Prowler Tour and let loose.

Written By Chantal Charles