LIVE REVIEW: Waterparks ft., Heart Attack Man & Winona Fighter, 12/02/2025 at The Pageant
— by Jay Smith for Midwest Rewind
–Photos by Danya Artimisi
Tuesday evening at The Pageant, The Prowler Tour rolled through Saint Louis and brought a younger audience that proves the mostly Gen Z (with a sprinkling of Millennials and older) crowds still very much show up for live music. Vibes were that of an indoor Warped Tour show where everyone came in from the biting cold for their high-energy punk pop fix. While not a sell-out, the show was still well attended.
Up to bat first was Winona Fighter, a new band out of Nashville, Tennessee, who can simply be summed up with one word; “DAMN!”. They brought insane energy and an intense, new, punk rock sound that felt genuine. Lead singer Coco Kinnon is one to watch. An absolute time bomb of ferocity.
Watch this band closely because no lies told, they absolutely stole the show in 7 songs flat, including a cover of “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys which was dedicated to “Some of the Moms and Dads in the crowd who may remember this!”. (*Raises hand sheepishly)
Heart Attack Man hailing from Cleveland, Ohio came out second of the night and had no easy task following the scorching blaze of Coco and company, but they held the crowd like seasoned pros.
Their slightly longer set list managed to retain the energy in the room with fan favorites such as “Freak Of Nature” and “Pitch Black”. Joined briefly by Waterparks singer Awsten Knight for the song “Like A Kennedy” and proved a massive crowd-pleasing moment and preview of the main event.
Just after 9pm, the house lights went black, and the Waterparks intro video began to roll with some pretty funny, candid, and in-your-face footage of none other than actual band arguments caught on video. The fans ate it up, and what followed was a tight, bass heavy sound that the band is known for, balanced well with classically loud guitars.
Awsten Knight is a seasoned pro at crowd banter and his engagement embraced everyone like Pop-Punk brethren. Any time he took a vocal break, the assignment was understood, and the crowd echoed the lyrics with an intensity that matched the band. Highlights of the night included taking the stage with their popular sing-a-long “Blonde”, and later in the night crushing with their heavier side on “Tantrum”.
It was a truly fun night proving that the “Warped Era” of live rock music still has its roots firmly planted with Saint Louis music fans.
Waterparks Setlist:
Blonde
SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN
FUCK ABOUT IT
Happiness
Hapiness Intro
Stupid for You
Peach (Lobotomy) (Fan choice between Telephone and Peach (Lobotomy))
Dream Boy
FUNERAL GREY
(with Eric Egan)
Sadness
Sadness Intro
High Definition
Gloom Boys
Crybaby
I Felt Younger When We Met
Acoustic Surprise Songs
Plum Island (acoustic snippet; Awsten only; tour debut)
You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone Was Out to Get You) (acoustic snippet; Awsten only)
Last Heaven (acoustic snippet; Awsten only)
Silver (acoustic snippet; Awsten only)
We Need to Talk (acoustic snippet; Awsten only)
Acoustic Set
21 Questions
(fan choice between “21 Questions” or “Lucky People” (with full band))
I Miss Having Sex but at Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore
Anticipation
Anticipation Intro
IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL
RED GUITAR
PROWLER
ANY MINUTE NOW
Anger
Anger Intro
TANTRUM
REAL SUPER DARK
Turbulent
Encore:
Encore Intro
LIKE IT
