The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour presents Waterparks on the Made In America Tour

Waterparks, As It Is, Chapel, Sleep On It, The Regent, November 9, 2017

Billed as The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour presents Waterparks on the Made In America Tour, this trek across the USA was certainly the pop punk event of the year. Waterparks has made quite a journey ever since being signed to Equal Vision Records, including an all summer adventure on the Vans Warped Tour, opening for the legendary Good Charlotte at The Troudadour, and now headlining their own shows to capacity crowds every single night.

After an earlier meet and greet where Waterparks posed for pix and answered questions from their fans, it was time to kick start the show.  And you could tell that Waterparks had an thrilling night planned for all in attendance. In addition to Waterparks, three dynamic bands have also joined them for the road adventure across America, including As It It, Chapel, and Sleep On It – all of whom made indelible impressions with their own well very received sets. The Regent in Downtown LA was packed to the rafters early on, and you could feel the excitement in the room for each and every band on the bill.

Sleep On It

Sleep On It unveiled an opening set that had the audience wide awake, singing along rapturously to each and every song. On the same record label as the headlining Waterparks, there is no doubt that Sleep On It made quite an awakening upon the early arrivals.

Slamming the night into hydrasonic gear with Distant from their just released Overexposed full length debut, Sleep On It presented a rock solid show of instantly memorable tunes. Song such as Counting Miles and Let Me Go made a definitive impact. Even Patty Walters from As It Is arrived onstage for the Sleep On It slumber party, contributing guest vocals to the combustible Fireworks.

The impressive Sleep On It lineup features the participation of Zech Pluister on lead vocals, TJ Horansky on guitar and vocals, Jake Marquis on guitar and vocals, AJ Khah on bass, and Luka Fischman on drums.

Even after they concluded their set with the vibrant Unspoken, the Sleep On It collective could be spotted throughout the night selling their CD’s and chatting with fans – even outside the venue when their set was long over. Expect to hear a lot more from this hard working band in 2018 and beyond.

Sleep On It on Facebook

Chapel

Chapel consists of two core members ready to rock your socks off with their super infectious songs – the kind of songs that are stuck within your head for ages. Interesting to note that both members are originally from metalcore bands on the Rise Records label – vocalist / guitarist Carter Hardin fronted Nightmares while drummer Kortney Grinwis spent time within the ranks of Favorite Weapon. Chapel is sure to garner both these amazing talents a good deal of attention.  And while this project is different than anything they’ve ever done in the past, Chapel is a band absolutely brimming with possibilities.

Opening their set with the epic refrains of We’ve Got Soul from their recently unveiled Sunday Brunch EP on Rise Records, Chapel preached their own brand of auditory magic upon The Regent crowd. Other crowd favorites included Miss Monogamy and Cindy White, clearly demonstrating Chapel’s knack for delivering wondrously luminous pop rocking selections.

Closing out their time onstage with the devastatingly emotional See You Soon, Chapel definitely left the audience intrigued and wanting to hear a whole lot more! It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for this imaginative band ready to break out into the hearts and minds of music fans all across the nation. Stay tuned and don’t forget to attend Chapel the next time they show up to convert your town your their exhilarating tapestries.

Chapel on Facebook

As it Is

As It Is supplied the perfect direct support for Waterparks, delivering their own brand of emotional driven pop punk entreaties. The band recently completed their own headlining tour, which included a stop at the legendary Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip. At The Regent in Downtown Los Angeles, As It Is presented a spirited set of energetic pop punk that really set the night in motion. Opening with the title track of their critically acclaimed Okay. album on Fearless Records, As It Is absolutely enraptured the room with a dazzling performance from all members involved.

Patty Walters is a super charismatic front man, jumping all over the stage and singing his heart and soul out. Benjamin Langford-Biss is equally effective on guitar and vocals, sending the songs into the stratosphere. And what a tight and brilliant rhythm section As It Is possesses, brought to you courtesy of Ali Testo on bass and Patrick Foley on drums.

Among the very many highlights of the set was the crowd favorite Cheap Shots and Setbacks, which featured Zech Pluister of Sleep On It returning the favor on guest vocals. When Austen was performed, Patty humorously made note that the song was not about the Waterparks lead vocalist Awsten Knight.

Pretty Little Distance is the pop punk anthem of the year and it what an impact the tune delivers in a live setting. Closing out the set with the one-two punch Hey Rachel and Dialtones, As It Is once again proved why they are most of the most exhilarating live bands on the planet – presenting songs that definitely pack an emotion punch within their supremely infectious melodies.  Expect to see a lot more of As It Is here in the States in 2018!

As it Is on Facebook

Waterparks

Combining the genres of pop punk and indie rock to an imaginative effect, the massively talented trio known as Waterparks spout off songs that are exhilarating to behold. All this and the wit and wisdom of the endearingly irrepressible front man Awsten Knight is nothing short of rock and roll genius.

Opening up their headlining set with the techno-style refrains of Plum Island, Waterparks unleashed a wet and wild ride of a concert! Even the girls in the audience were crowd surfing up to the stage and into the arms of their favorite band member. The Waterparks trio present an absolutely unforgettable show, with infinitely memorable tunes and humorously imaginative graphics shown during each and every song. The glorious pop confections kept on arriving tenfold, with songs such as Crave, Stupid For You, and Mad All The Time inspiring epic audience singalongs. Also featured in the show was a brand new selection called Blonde from their upcoming album Entertainment – definitely whetting the collective appetites of their fans for all things Waterparks has in store in the New Year.

Awsten Knight is one of the most compelling performers on the pop punk scene today – if he’s not delivering the wildly catchy lyrics, he’s espousing a wickedly quirky sense of humor that knows no bounds. Knight and co-conspirator Geoff Wigington filled the room with their jangly guitar interludes and a whole lot of smiles. And then situated in the back but making his presence very well know was Otto Wood, unleashing the drums with an all-out vengeance.

A sense of irony permeated throughout many of the songs, with selections such as Gloom Boys and Royal showing a band at their most lyrically ingenious. For a much deserved encore, Waterparks presented Powerless and 21 Questions acoustic and then concluded the night with an all-out rendition of I’m A Natural Blue. Waterparks has proven to be a major player in the pop punk arena and their enthusiastically unpredictable live shows are not to be missed.

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(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)