REVIEW: Waterparks at The Fillmore

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WRITTEN/PHOTOS BY: Caitlin McGeehan

The line for Waterparks’ Philadelphia show on the Sneaking Out of Heaven Tour at The Fillmore on March 20th is rumored to have started the night before the show. The excitement is understandable; Waterparks shows are like riding a roller coaster. From the adrenaline pumping as you wait in line to the exhilarating loops and internal electricity when you step off, a Waterparks concert has the same effect.

To add to the anticipation, this was the first time the Texas trio (Awsten Knight [vocals, guitar], Geoff Wigington [guitar], and Otto Wood [drums]) would be headlining The Fillmore after playing the smaller Theatre of Living Arts on previous tours. Waterparks proved that if given the space, they’ll expand their world within it.

Red and neon green outfits were scattered throughout the crowd to match the color scheme of the latest album Intellectual Property and the tour set. Some fans further accessorized with face paint designs of red stars and green crosses, mirroring Knight’s stage makeup (believed to symbolize the conflicting Soulsucker and Starf***er personas from Intellectual Property).   

Sophie Powers, now a veteran Waterparks tour opener after joining them last spring, ignited the crowd with her glitch-rock. She faced audio issues but took it in stride as she kept up the energy throughout her set.      

Loveless (Julian Comeau [vocals] and Dylan Tirapelli-Jamail [multi-instrumentalist]) shouted out their tattoo artist in the crowd and fulfilled the required “Go Birds” mention for a Philly show. Their set was electrifying with the combination of driving guitar and Comeau’s belting vocals. Loveless charmed the crowd, as shown by how long the line to meet them was after the show (they were the sweetest and made sure to chat with everyone!).

The first notes of Waterparks’ opening song “Watch What Happens Next” flipped a switch and had the crowd jumping and singing immediately. 

Waterparks craft world-building setlists. Over the past few albums, their music has become more conceptual than based in reality, and the setlist sections reflect that. The band bounced between their first three albums and a cover of Liz Phair’s “Why Can’t I?” accompanied by doodles and rom-com scenes on screen. Fans showed their love with “Geoff” and “Otto” chants, and the band passed around a “Soulsucker” bedazzled cowboy hat. 

The roller-coaster-like turn into “the property” began with a reverberating video interlude on a white screen. A robotic, sanitized voice defined religious guilt and trauma, the overarching themes of Intellectual Property.  

The screen dropped and the set was transformed. Vines and leaves donned the red doors that read “Please Watch Closely” in block letters on the screens. A red hazmat suit mannequin was slung over the set near Wood’s drumkit and the B stage at the back of the floor was uncovered. Such a defined switch into songs from Intellectual Property seemed like entering a darker timeline (a la “Remedial Chaos Theory” in Community). 

Waterparks brought back the levity though by chatting with the crowd between songs. Topics for the Philadelphia show included Knight wanting to play soccer in high school, a crowd member’s broken glasses and a lost hoodie, and the request for “Group Chat,” a 15-second interlude off of Fandom. Compared to typical Waterparks stage banter, these were tame topics.

Knight then made his way to the B stage: a gated riser with a keyboard, lanterns, and a renaissance-esque sculpture. As he sat at the keyboard, he spoke to the evolution of Waterparks shows and how they didn’t want to get boring by doing the same thing each tour (although ‘boring’ isn’t a word to describe Waterparks shows). The crowd swayed along to the three stripped-down songs and it felt like a grounding moment after journeying to “the property.”  

This continued with “21 Questions” back at the main stage. The band’s ability to weave their older songs, like “21 Questions” off their debut album, into current shows only adds to their setlist-building strength. The band knows how special these songs are to fans and how they still connect with crowds almost 10 years later. 

In typical Waterparks fashion, they turned up the energy one last time. Their last four songs felt like an espresso shot of energy with circle pits, a stream of crowd surfers, and tons of jumping. 

The band knew the Philly show would go hard. At the beginning of the tour Knight said he was looking at the dates and thought “Philly’s gonna be f****** sick,” and he was definitely right.

In addition to the magnetizing performance, the band shared their gratitude. They noted how they’d opened for many bands at The Fillmore and were grateful for the chance to do their own show here because the fans in the crowd care about them and their music. Waterparks also pay it forward now that they’re in the position to select openers. The New Jersey band Pollyanna, who are on the tour for the later dates, were at the Philly show and Waterparks gave them a special shout out onstage.

A Waterparks show will keep you on your toes literally when you’re jumping or getting in the pit, but also figuratively since you never know exactly what’s next. 

Knowing everything behind the music, the lore if you will, makes it even more meaningful when it comes to life right in front of you (at the B stage, especially). But even if you’re a casual fan, Waterparks still put on such a fun night of music with mesmerizing set design and special effects. This tour only solidified that I’d spend every night in Waterparks’ world at their shows if I could.

Setlist: 

Watch What Happens Next 

Blonde 

Greatest Hits Medley (Fuzzy, Violet!, American Graffiti, The Secret Life of Me, Just Kidding, See You In The Future, Lowkey as Hell)

Why Can’t I? (Liz Phair cover) 

Stupid for You 

You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out to Get You) 

Soulsucker 

Sneaking Out of Heaven

Magnetic

Ritual 

Group Chat (by crowd request)

Self-Sabotage 

Brainwashed 

F*** About It 

High Definition 

Snow Globe 

Crying Over It All

21 Questions 

I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore

Funeral Grey 

Numb 

Turbulent 

Real Super Dark