The band Parachute came to Louisville on Sept. 20 and performed at the Mercury Ballroom.
I went to the concert with high expectations, because I had previously seen the band open for another act last year. They certainly exceeded these standards at this concert.
The opening acts really set the stage for Parachute. The first was Mikey Wax, a rising singer who performed on the keyboard with band member Joe Striff on the guitar. They showed a lot of talent through their beautiful music and voices. I had the opportunity to meet them after their performance, and they were very kind and gave me lots of information on their music.
Matt Wertz, and his guitarist Parke Avery, were up after Wax and Striff. They brought a lot of new energy into the room. Their music had the whole room dancing and screaming for more.
At the end of his set Wertz said, “Parachute is going to soft rock your face off,” which gained a lot of laughs from the crowd.
The suspense built as the room darkened and it was time for Parachute. The band came out and started to play “Hurricane,” one of the songs off their new album, Overnight. Though they played the song beautifully, I don’t think it was the best song to start on. It didn’t set the mood as very exciting because it was a slower song. However, they did ultimately impress with their beautiful music and vocals. The energy immediately went up with the next songs “Can’t Help,” and “Didn’t See it Coming.”
I believe one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole concert that they included with their upbeat songs, was the use of the saxophone, played by Kit French. It added a lot of new vibes and diversity to their performance. The crowd seemed to enjoy it as well.
In the middle of Parachute’s performance, lead singer Will Anderson called Matt Wertz up on stage. They performed two songs together, one being “The Other Side.” They really cliqued during the songs they did together and interacted with the audience a lot. In between their songs, they stopped to talk about a charity they were involved in, called the Mocha Club. The Mocha Club is a charity where you donate around $18 a month, about how much you would spend on coffee, towards buying a water well for those who don’t have access to clean water. They explained the charity very thoroughly and promoted it by giving information and access to donate at their merchandise table.
The rest of the night was filled with a lot of fun and beautiful music. Their slow songs were very pretty and their upbeat songs made the whole room want to dance. I was very impressed by Parachute’s performance and it will be a night I will remember for a long time.
Article by: Clea Grubb
