Finding new sounds under the umbrella of pop-rock is a tall order, but one that California group Weathers manages to great success. They brought their headlining tour to Phoenix on Tuesday, along with a lineup packed with talent.
Local glam rockers Sunday at Noon opened the early show, moving the room with the sheer force of singer Jack Vanderpol’s charisma. The band put their theatricality on full display, bantering with each other and the audience and getting bodies moving to self-professed bangers like “Mad” and “Honey”.
Electro-pop trio Ariana and the Rose brought a hearty dose of girl power to The Rebel Lounge stage. Singer Ariana DiLorenzo’s ethereal voice seemed to float higher than even the ceiling of the venue could contain as she utterly charmed her audience. As the crowd was mostly comprised of girls, they were all in for DiLorenzo’s message of empowerment and vulnerability. With songs like “You Were Never My Boyfriend” and “Supercool”, the dancing never stopped. The band even honored a song request from a fan, slowing things down for “True Love” before the end of their set.
Watching former Glee superstar Chord Overstreet take the stage was clearly a surreal moment for fans. Bringing his band Overstreet on tour with Weathers was a welcome addition to the announcement and they were welcomed with open arms (and plenty of high-pitched squealing). Shouts of “Trouty Mouth” and “We love you White Chocolate” echoed in the crowd as Overstreet grinned sheepishly between songs.
In terms of sound, Overstreet evokes the feeling of a beach town in summer. One could almost feel the salt breeze as the band played through new music, including the only two songs formally released – “Carried Away” and “Wasted Time”. Overstreet was backed by a group of stellar musicians, all of whom stole the show in turns. They closed with a cover of Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire” before leaving the stage to meet eager fans.
Pop-rock is not a groundbreaking genre, but Weathers have managed to tap a vein with their sound. The Los Angeles quartet sent the room into a frenzy with their entrance, the energy kicking up to record highs on “Carry Us Home”. Frontman Cameron Boyer vamped throughout the set, encouraging the young fans to keep moving.
Everyone sang along louder than the band at several points and screamed their approval at unreleased track “Lonely Vampire”. The fans ate it up, dancing to the rowdy “Poser” and “1983”. Due to technical difficulties mid-set, Boyer performed “Secret’s Safe With Me” armed only with his acoustic guitar, the acapella version swelling into a full band rendition as the speakers rebooted.
The whole band got their shouts of approval from the audience, but Boyer upped the ante even more by jumping into the audience to dance with the fans. The band’s cover of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” was surprising only in that the teenage audience knew all the words. After closing their set with “I’m Not Ok”, the sweat-soaked, exhausted crowd demanded they come back for more, roaring when the band returned for a two-song encore of “Dirty Money” and “Problems”.
Weathers was a party from start to finish. Their stomping rock sound mixed wonderfully with their retro aesthetic for a energetic romp that had the fans lining up to profess their love after the night was over.
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
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