One Ok Rock are Truly Rockstars
The night started out with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver playing loudly from the speakers in the venue right before Stand Atlantic's set. Many people began to sing and scream the lyrics, others laughing at the absurdity. Then the moment I had waited for arrived: the lights came on and on stage was Stand Atlantic. Frontwoman Bonnie Fraser was dressed in a white t-shirt and plaid pants, an excited grin spread across her face. The show began and the band put all of their energy into their performance.
The band truly embodied pop punk, as Fraser sang her heart out and guitarist David Potter spun around and around as he played. The energy from their first song, “Coffee At Midnight,” carried over into each and every song they played. Fraser made sure to keep the crowd interested and entertained, at one point asking us all to yell ‘yeehaw’ which we, of course, did. The crowd never seemed bored; my section was especially full of energy.
After their set, my sister, who is not normally a fan of pop punk, had decided she had found her new favorite band and left the crowd to go buy a shirt of theirs. It was obvious that they had impressed many attendees, with many people around me buzzing about their set and music.
By this point I had been pushed closer to center barricade and would have the perfect view of Awsten Knight, frontman of the Houston-based band Waterparks, once it came time for their set. I, along with many other people, were beyond ecstatic for their set. It was my second time seeing the band, my first being on their first headliner back in 2017 at the Prophet Bar.
As the crew was setting up for their set, the crowd began to chant for Geoff Wigington, obviously a favorite member for many in the crowd, but alas he did not come on the stage until it was time for their set to start.
When the lights went out in the venue, everyone around me began to scream, knowing who would be coming onstage, and as they did, the screaming became louder. The girl next to me was chanting for Knight, and it was a definite change of pace from when I saw them back in 2017 when their fan base was considerably smaller.
They started out strong with “Mad All The Time” from their 2016 EP Cluster. The crowd was full of energy, jumping and screaming the lyrics. As they went onto their next song, I had to stop singing and screaming so that I could catch my breath, already exhausted from the first song. I didn't let my exhaustion stop me— I had waited three hours for this and I wanted to do my best to make sure I enjoyed every second of it.
This was the most energetic the crowd had been so far and it showed no signs of calming down as they moved onto “Dizzy,” where I may or may not have almost lost my voice from screaming.
You could tell Knight was loving every second of it. He had the biggest grin on his face as he sang and looked out into the crowd. He encouraged the crowd to jump and clap, even pointing out my stepdad who was in the balcony and telling him to be energetic and headbang a bit.
Knight joked around with the crowd a bit, telling jokes and doing a ‘wardrobe change’ that was really just him having them cut the lights while he took off his hoodie. You could tell that he loves what he's doing as he and Geoff Wigington, the guitarist, were both smiling all throughout their set.
The crowd became more and more energetic and enthusiastic as the set went on, and people beginning to crowdsurf during “Rare.” Some people were dropped, but I helped to make sure they got back up and were able to surf up to the front. It was my first experience with crowdsurfers, but I was determined to make sure no one else would be dropped.
The crowd was most energetic during Waterparks’ final song of the night. Many more people were crowdsurfing and no one held back in the pit. I'm sure that I'll soon have some bruises forming from how chaotic yet fun it became.
When Waterparks left the stage, I was pushed even closer to the front, ending up with only one person between me and the barricade. Once everyone was somewhat settled in their areas, we all began to discuss the show so far. Everyone had loved both Stand Atlantic and Waterparks’ sets, and everyone was of course ecstatic for One Ok Rock.
It was amazing to hear people's stories about the times they had seen them before. A girl who was lucky enough to get barricade had flown all the way from Japan to come see them. Many others had come from Japan as well, and it was obvious to me and many others that they have an extremely dedicated fan base. I’m a new fan of the band, but I felt so welcomed as we all talked about our love for them.
When One Ok Rock finally came onstage, everyone lost it. The girl next to me, who I had sort of become friends with, began to uncontrollably sob. Many people around us were screaming their names and crying; their fans were truly passionate about them and their music.
As their first song of the night, “Push Back,” began, the crowd became even more excited. Everyone in the venue seemed to be singing along, entranced and in love with the band. Frontman Taka Moriuchi had full control over the crowd. Everyone had their eyes on him and were hanging onto every word that he sang.
I have never seen a crowd so intensely focused before, not even when I saw Fall Out Boy at Madison Square Garden. The way that Moriuchi had gathered everyone's attention was inspiring and truly beautiful— he knew what he was doing and he was doing it well.
Their performance wasn't full of flashy lights or pyrotechnics, but instead they impressed with their energy, timing, precision, and talent. You could tell that they poured their emotions into every word sang and every note played. It was only the first song, but I knew I was in for a beautiful set. Stand Atlantic and Waterparks had brought the energy, but One Ok Rock had brought the emotion.
As they transitioned into their next song, “We Are,” the energy didn't falter, but instead began to increase. The crowd remained entranced throughout each song. One Ok Rock had captured the attention of everyone in the venue and had no plan of letting it go.
Fans sang along, smiles on their faces, a few of their cheeks and eyes gleamed from tears of joy. The crowd wasn't just teenage girls— it was people of all ages, ethnicities, and gender identities. The band had managed to pull in people from all over for their show. With each and every song, the energy increased in the crowd and on stage. Everyone in the venue was enjoying their time.
After a while, I became extremely exhausted from standing, considering I had gotten to the venue around 2:00 pm and had been standing for almost the whole time, and so I decided to catch the rest of the show from the balcony.
Up in the balcony, I could truly see the beauty on stage. The lights seemed to be perfectly timed with the music, and every single movement made on stage was clearly intentional and precise. This wasn't just a concert, it was a beautifully constructed performance.
I had truly never seen such an emotional performance. It was enchanting to see how Moriuchi could control a crowd and to see so many people united over music.
This was the best concert I have ever been to, and I would 100% do it again. Every single band on the lineup put on an amazing show, and I became envious of the people going to more than one stop on the tour because they'd get to continuously see an incredible bill.
If you're ever considering seeing Stand Atlantic, Waterparks, or One Ok Rock, I would suggest you do. You will not be disappointed!
Written by: Cole Tucker
Edited by: Gianna Cicchetti
Graphic by: Emily Lantzy