REVIEW: Weathers at The Chameleon Club

Nov 6, 2019Nov 6, 2019 AnnaMarie Otor 0 Comments

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WRITTEN BY: Hannah Kay

When Los Angeles-based alternative quartet Weathers took the stage at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA on November 1st, the forecast read as such: electric. Following the previous openers, Boston’s Dead Poet Society and Asbury Park’s Deal Casino, it would be easy to convince an unaware concertgoer that they were the night’s headlining act rather than fellow Los Angeles natives Badflower. Weathers led the sold-out Chameleon Club crowd in a 30 minute dance party, playing a crowd-pleasing selection from their infectious discography (and one impeccably timed cover).

Weathers kept the energy high and bodies moving during their set, inviting both merch-clad fans and first-time listeners to come together and lose themselves for that brief time. Even the more moody songs they played that night (like “Shallow Water” and “Dirty Money”) kept the crowd active and engaged, surely earning them some new fans from over here on the East Coast.

It’s hard not to be impressed (and even entranced) with the way frontman Cameron Boyer blends cool, suave confidence with strong, bright vocal prowess and elastic dance moves when he takes the stage. Though he was very much a spectacle, Boyer displayed the humble charm he exudes offstage when he took time out to introduce the Chameleon Club to his bandmates: guitarist Cameron Olsen, bassist Brennen Bates, and drummer Cole Carson, all equally talented musicians and electric performers in their own right.

The highlight of their performance, perhaps, was not a song pulled from their assortment of singles and 2018 LP Kids in the Night, but an unintentionally well-timed cover of emo legends My Chemical Romance’s song “Famous Last Words.” Though they’ve been playing it every night of their tour with Badflower & co., it was the previous day’s announcement of the return My Chemical Romance that made their performance (and the sold-out crowd singing the anthemic “I am not afraid to keep on living,”) triumphant rather than bittersweet. Obviously big fans of theirs (connecting Weathers’ antics and aesthetic to the theatrics and legacy of the elder band just makes everything about them click), the band had joked on Twitter the day before their show in Lancaster that their cover was “so bad that [My Chemical Romance] reunited.”

Dramatic and poetic irony of their cover aside, Weathers’ strength as performers lie in their undeniable charisma and the infectious devotion their fans have to them and their sound. They commanded a crowd they weren’t even headlining for, but any fan there to see them that night would tell you that their time at the top billing is long overdue. Until then, however, be sure to catch Weathers next time they’re on tour – their energy creates a truly unique concert going experience for fans old and new.

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