S.L.R. Magazine

EXCLUSIVE: Waterparks JINX album release party, by Kristina B

Waterparks released their new album JINX and did a limited 7 stop record store release party! They did not charge for the event, your ticket in was just to pre-purchase the album on vinyl or cd. Seeing as one of the stops was Orlando, I reached out to see if I could cover the event. I have been to a few Waterparks concerts and I knew the fans were going to go all out. Park Ave Cds hosted the Orlando meet and greet. They are a huge staple of the music community here and ran the whole thing with grace, organization, and smiles. Most of the employees stayed until 2-3 am to ensure every guest got the chance to the meet the guys.

I arrived at the event around 5:30pm when check in was to start and the line was already moving, getting checked in, and about 150 people deep. Albums were already unwrapped and ready to go for signing. Making my way through the line, I started asking fans what they purchased, asking about the trinkets they made to trade, and about the gifts they brought for the band. Each person had such unique reasons on why this band was important to them. Some people like me just really enjoyed the music and the creativity of the band, and some had really deep connections to songs, lyrics, and knew all about when and why things were made. There seems to be a lot of inside jokes as well (like is Otto actually a serial killer? I’m a very literal person so I think we need to investigate this more haha!)

FULL VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhUgwjqffi0&t=6s

Even after hours of waiting, fans were still excited when I came up to them and asked what brought them in. A lot of people wanted the band to draw some sort of tattoo art on their album so they could go later and get the tattoo done! That’s dedication!

Standing next to the guys during the meet and greet was an absolute treat because even though they had missed their flight, flew in on a red eye on a full plane, and didn’t get to eat yet… you would have NEVER known from the way they were treating people. If a fan had a story to tell, their eyes were peeled, not even blinking, listening intently and responding accordingly. This was not a “hey nice to meet you photo, sign okay bye!” situation. One fan even made a custom red guitar as an ode to the Waterparks song “red guitar”.

The guys stayed until 3am signing, giving hugs, taking pics, and being goofs. If a fan had a fun idea for a photo – they were down. If a fan asked for a drawing – they obliged. I’ve been to a few meet and greets but this one was definitely my favorite. Not only that but right after the signing dates wrapped up the band announced a new tour with dates at smaller venues promising little to no barricades. This is a band who WANTS to interact with its fans and create a 4d experience! It might have taken me 3 business days to recover from shooting for 9 hours but 100% worth it.