On September 20th, Waterparks kicked off the first in a series of three sold-out “secret” shows in Pomona, California. The show was at The Glass House, an 800 capacity venue where they last played back in 2017 on their Entertainment Tour. The next two shows will take place in Evanston, IL and New York, NY. These will be the smallest and most intimate shows the band will have played since 2017. To get into these shows, fans who have purchased a ticket to their larger upcoming Prowler Tour at the end of this year were sent a password to access tickets. With tickets only costing $20 and being in a small, sweaty venue, it was as close to taking a time machine back to 2017 as possible. The only difference is that there’s so many more songs to enjoy in 2025.
Fresh off the release of the first two singles – “RED GUITAR” and “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” – from their upcoming album, Waterparks are entering a new era of music. They will be playing some of the largest venues they’ve ever played on their upcoming tour, including the Shrine in Los Angeles, a step up from the Hollywood Palladium on the tour before that, and the Fonda Theatre before that. The band consists of Awsten Knight on lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, and programming, Geoff Wigington on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Otto Wood on drums and backing vocals. The Houston, Texas trio is often categorized as a pop-punk band, but is always experimental in their approach to making music and never shies away from doing what they really want.
With no opener and no baseline for what the night might hold, fans filled up the small venue quickly, trading bracelets and meeting online friends for the first time. As soon as 8:30 comes around, Waterparks open with “RED GUITAR,” Awsten Knight using his very own red Flying V guitar. Everyone in the crowd was shouting the words like they’ve known the song their entire lives, and went crazy during Knight’s guitar solo. They went on to play an hour-and-a-half of fan favorites and rarities, the reaction for each song proving that there wasn’t a bad choice they could’ve made for the setlist.
From their 2017 album Entertainment, they did an exclusive song for this show, “Peach (Lobotomy),” which doesn’t get played often. Another surprise was “CALL ME BEEP ME (DEMO),” the second time it’s ever been played live. Songs that never disappoint live (and are my personal favorites) were “The Secret Life of Me,” “War Crimes,” and “Magnetic.” Knight took frequent short talking breaks to interact with the crowd, make jokes, and check that everyone was doing okay, since it felt like it was 100 degrees in the packed venue. At one point, he brought up his wikiFeet score (and was ecstatic to find it was 4.07/5 stars) and asked a fan if they could create a Yelp page for the band so everyone could leave bad reviews when they mess up a song. Knight always knows how to find the perfect balance of tomfoolery and rocking out.
For the heavier songs that Waterparks played, like “RITUAL,” the mosh pit was practically half the size of the entire audience area, with sweaty fans pushing and helping each other up simultaneously. Someone was even doing backflips, which Knight loved. During “Lucky People,” the song was dedicated to the couples in the audience, and everyone lit up the room with their phone flashlights and sang along. Towards the end of the set, they played “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL,” a little differently than the studio version, Knight seemingly adlibbing the talking part at the end.
Finally, if the crowd had any energy left, they surely wouldn’t after the one-two punch of “TANTRUM” (the second time it’s been played since 2020) into “REAL SUPER DARK,” two of the loudest and most intense songs of their discography. The band and the entire audience poured the rest of their strength into those two songs and tried to make them last as long as possible before saying goodnight. Everyone could feel that it was truly a night to remember and cherish, as it’s rare to be able to experience their favorite band in this way.
Get tickets to Waterparks’ upcoming tour here.
GALLERY: Waterparks at The Glass House in Pomona, California (September 20, 2025)
