Parachute
Royale Boston
Boston, MA
April 1, 2016

Parachute recently released their album Wide Awake, and this tour, appropriately named ‘The wide awake tour’, is in support of it. Opening for Parachute were Brynn Elliot and Jon McLaughlin.

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Brynn Elliot

Brynn Elliot is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently attending Harvard University as a philosophy major. Her friends from school definitely came out to support her, as she got on stage to a roaring applause which could match any headliner. Her voice was powerful, clear and thoughtful. These weren’t fluff piece songs, they meant something to her, and it came across in her voice and presence. Her set was short, only singing for about half an hour. There was a small delay since the drummer stopped the show to alert the security that someone in the front had passed out. Once everyone was safe, she started to play again until someone came and told her she had to stop. Brynn thanked everyone and invited them to meet her at her merchandise booth to become “friends”. I always enjoy a great singer-songwriter and am looking forward to more from her.

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Jon McLaughlin

There was a really quick turn around between Brynn and Jon McLaughlin. The show was running a little behind, so it seemed like they were trying their best to get the next set going. Once Jon and his backup band took the stage, they jumped right into it. He had a great pop rock sound, and a smile all the young girls cheered for. He spent a fair amount of the time behind his piano, but did a great job engaging the audience. He was very sweet and charmed the crowd with his fun personality, with things like asking us to join his email list so he could email us (because that’s what email is for) and a conversation about polka dots, after a denied request to take his shirt off. We all joined him in singing “Don’t Mess With My Girl”, and we helped him out with some melodies. He ended his set with the only song that I knew, called “Beautiful Disaster”. He had a solid performance, and the fans there really seemed to enjoy him.

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Parachute

I waited in the wings while stage hands rushed to get things ready for Parachute. I watched the crowd push forward to get close and the girls shake with excitement. The lights dropped and the band came out slowly, one by one. Then strobe lights went crazy and lead singer Will Anderson came jumping out. They went into a song from their latest album called “Without You”, and it was perfect. Will put his heart into the song; he danced, he smiled, and the crowd was mesmerized. The stage set up was a lot of fun too, lots of lights and the drum kit matched the album cover. When the bubble machine went off, the crowd turned into a bunch of small children delighted by the sight. We all reached out to try to catch a few. There was a fun music instrument addition when Kit, the keyboard and saxophone player, broke out a harmonica for one of the songs!

Towards the end of the set, Parachute played one of the saddest songs I have ever heard, “Forever and Always”. Luckily before it started he warned that the song was not true, which I think was the only thing that kept me from crying. They kicked it back up after that with another song from the new album called “Lonely with Me”. During this song he sings different cities, and to everyone’s delight he added in Boston for this performance. They did a really great job interacting with the crowd, recording a Snapchat video and also a photo of the crowd. Will made everyone laugh, stating that pictures don’t record sound, so there was no need to scream. When everyone screamed, he mumbled something like “I knew it”.

When they got to what Will said was his last performance of the night, they sang the fan favorite “She is Love”, and then walked off stage to a deafening applause. When they returned they announced they had time for just 2 more songs. They played “Kiss me Slowly” and “New Orleans”, two songs I had never heard but loved. I had been watching the show from the side stage since it was too packed to get back to where I had been standing. Lucky for me, that’s the side that Will decided to jump the ropes and run into the crowd, much to the dismay of the security staff. The set was so much fun, and they sounded great. I really enjoyed seeing them perform their new material, and I can’t wait for them to come around again!

Setlist
Without You
Didn’t See It Coming
Meant To Be
White Dress
Can’t Help
Something To Believe In
She (For Liz)
Drive You Home
Jennie
Forever and Always
Lonely With Me
American Secrets 
What I Know
She Is Love
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Kiss Me Slowly
New Orleans