Four up-and-coming bands from all over bringing their own blend of power chords, sing alongs, and did more to unite a room full of strangers in four hours than a dusty Cheeto has in over 300 days in office…
Put it all together and you’ve got the Made In America tour.
Last Saturday (November 25), Waterparks brought their headlining tour to the Deluxe room at Old National Centre. Of course, they didn’t come alone. Also joining in the fun were the likes of As It Is, Chapel, and Sleep On It.
DISCLAIMER: I’ve not heard of any of these bands. I couldn’t even pick out a single song. It’s these reasons that I figured this would be the perfect show to come review. After all, pop punk has a special place in my heart, and maybe news of the Warped Tour’s end has made me hungry for more. It’s been a while, so it’s time to shake off the rust and see what we can do to make pop punk great again. Allons-y…
It’s 6:30 p.m. on the dot, I’m already complaining about the large pillars obstructing my view (#OVUltras), and suddenly, one group of people take the stage to cheers from the crowd. Let’s welcome the guys from Sleep On It.
The pop-punk quintet may have been playing from the opening spot, but their demeanor said otherwise. From the word go, Sleep On It played with all the excitement and intensity of the bands who influenced their sound (many of which I probably saw back in the day…). Whether it was because it was a hot crowd, knowing which buttons to push, or maybe a combination of the two, the Chicago punk outfit held decent-sized crowd – made up of mostly high school-aged kids – in the palm of their hands. They even gave a shout out to the parents who were there with their kids, saying they had “cool parents,” while frontman Zech Pluister stated he never got to go anywhere like this when he was younger.
Though more importantly, amidst all of the fun and the sing along moments, they carried a message with them: this is an evening where you could forget all of the chaos going on in the world today. Our country is run by a dusty Cheeto (their words) and the powers that be seem more interested in themselves than the people who put them there, but for a few hours, forget all the BS and come together for at least this one night. By the looks of everyone jumping around and singing to their heart’s content, it looks like they’ve accomplished that (and hey, they did more to unify the people in 30 minutes than some other guy in 300+ days). Basically, what I’m trying to say is don’t sleep on this band. Good things will happen if you keep an eye on them.
Chapel is up next. We’re off to a hot start tonight. Let’s see if we can keep the momentum going.
The constant sampling may not have been my cup of tea (there are only two members, and yes, at times it may have been difficult to hear them over it, but from start to finish, this Georgia-based duo could power the entire Murat by themselves. Both of the appear to be having the time of their lives while some of the crowd merrily dances along. They even broke out a cover of “Creep” by Radiohead (to varying degrees of success). Overall, maybe not my favorite, but I can’t deny what they’re able to do in front of a live crowd.
Up next – and all the way from Brighton, England – are the guys from As It Is. Anticipation is still building for our main event, but I’m still hearing a considerable amount of cheering every time their name comes up.
Then I heard a few of their songs and realized “oh, this is why.” As It Is brought plenty of energy to the Circle City, and the eager crowd was on hand to eat all of it up. The band hand them singing, clapping, and jumping around, sometimes all at once. This tour may be called “Made In America,” but great pop punk is just that, no matter where it comes from (am I getting political again? Anyway…).
They’re a band that doesn’t get to come to Indy often, so they definitely made the most of the time they had tonight. It’s always a welcome sight to see a band who legitimately wants to be there and is dedicated to having as much fun as possible in the process, and it shows here. They’re entertaining, fairly charismatic, and ready to lead the charge in this next wave of music. It’s only the beginning, and that’s more than just “Okay.”
It’s almost main event time. Those in attendance now try to stake out better spots along the floor (and hopefully not behind giant stone pillars), while others run to the bathroom or check out the merch tables one last time. As this is the headlining band, they’re blessed with having a little more room on the small Deluxe stage (only because the drum kit was set up further back) and the longest set time. Hey, their tour, their rules.
It feels like an eternity waiting for the stage crew to complete soundcheck and get our last band out. I know it’s all about building anticipation, but there’s only so much of checking Twitter or trying to figure out the College Football Playoff before I just want more music.
Just when it feels like I can’t wait any longer, the lights go out, the cheers erupt, and our final band of the evening takes the stage. Let’s welcome Waterparks to the Murat Centre.
They don’t have a whole lot of room on the small stage, but they employ as much of it as they can, dancing around towards the front and even guitarist Geoff Wigington walking over to the far edges to play for the crowd. Down here on the floor, there’s plenty of jumping and singing, and for the first time that I’ve seen at least, a few crowd surfers.
I’m getting older and I’m starting to border on curmudgeon when I come to shows like this sometimes, but it’s nice to see a band like this so in tune with their audience. Everyone operated on the same wavelength. Frontman Awsten Knight is in complete control and the crowd is more than happy to oblige his requests. When both band and audience are on the same page, it’s a beautiful thing.
None of this was more evident than during the encore, which consisted of several acoustic songs. Knight did his best Chris Carrabba impression and the crowd sounded a lot like me the first time I head “Screaming Infidelities” in the pouring rain at the Lawn. The show eventually ends on a much higher note, with the rest of the band joining him after his short acoustic set. It was one last loud sing along in the form of “I’m A Natural Blue” with a lot of dancing and singing before they send us on our way, back into the night.
Final verdict?
If this was the start of concART 2.0, it was one that reminded me why I still see bands like this:
It was fun.
Shows are supposed to be fun. They’re a safe space for misfits like me who want to forget about things like politics or the Badgers’ chances in the College Football Playoff (welp). A place where I can be my true self. A place where I can just go and appreciate what’s in front of me, even if I haven’t heard of any of these bands before.
In short: Four bands from all over bringing a fun night of pop punk and uniting a group of strangers better than an angry, narcissistic carrot. That’s how to you make punk (and America) great again.