As an avid concertgoer and self proclaimed music junkie, few things make me happier than seeing a band whose music translates perfectly from studio to stage, and Parachute is a band who does that perfectly. The pop rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia recently released their fourth studio album Wide Awake on March 11, 2016 and started a tour in support of the album soon after.
I discovered Parachute when I was in high school, after the release of their album Losing Sleep. I can still remember listening to “The Mess I Made” for the first time and immediately falling in love with Will Anderson’s voice. However, I had never gotten the chance to see them live until the Wide Awake Tour made a stop in Los Angeles.
In true LA fashion I showed up to the show late, walking in minutes before Parachute took the stage. The lights dimmed and the crowd erupted in cheers, and I knew I was in for an amazing night. Let me just say that if you plan on going to see Parachute in concert you better make sure you’re wearing your dancing shoes. The band took the stage and started their set with Wide Awake‘s opening track, “Without You” and the energy from both the band and the audience was incredible.
Fast forward to the band playing the song “Can’t Help” off of their album Overnight, featuring a killer saxophone solo by Kit French. Seriously, that man can play. One of my favorite moments by far happened a few songs later when they played “American Secrets” and I got to see my friends’ reactions to seeing the song played live for the first time.
The dancing continued as the night went on, but the mood did change for a moment when Parachute played an acoustic version of “Forever And Always” a.k.a one of the saddest songs ever. It’s hard to hear the lyrics “She finishes the vows but the beeps are getting too slow, his voice is almost too low as he says, ‘I love you forever, forever and always. Please just remember even if I’m not there, I’ll always love you, forever and always.'” and not get emotional. They followed that emotional roller coaster of a song with “Lonely With Me” which is easily one of my favorite songs off their latest album. It’s such a fun, upbeat song and while most bands use confetti cannons during their songs, Parachute decided to release bubbles during this song. Bubbles. In that moment we all became 12 year-olds again because bubbles just have that effect on people.
The band came back out on stage for an encore, playing “Kiss Me Slowly” which is probably one of their most popular songs. They closed their set with another one of my personal favorites, “New Orleans” (and more bubbles), at which point my Taylor Swift dance moves were in full effect.
Although the set list was missing a few of my personal favorites, it was the perfect combination of new and old songs. I can honestly say that Parachute’s live show lived up to all my expectations and I can’t wait until they make another stop in Los Angeles.
Set List
Without You / Didn’t See It Coming / Meant To Be / White Dress / Can’t Help / Something To Believe In / She (For Liz) / American Secrets / Waking Up / Jennie / Forever and Always (acoustic) / Lonely With Me / What I Know / Getaway / She Is Love / What Side Of Love
Encore
Kiss Me Slowly / New Orleans
