Decked out in their best band merch, Park Ave CDs in Audubon Park was ground zero for a legion of Parxies (for those not in the know, Waterparks fans) from all over the city and, indeed, the country Wednesday.
Waterparks, a three-piece pop-punk band from Texas, currently on the road for a multi-city record signing and meet-and-greet tour, made a stop in Orlando Wednesday to sign records and greet fans.
Waterparkers Awsten Knight, Otto Wood, and Geoff Wigington met with fans and chatted about the new album for hours before catching a flight to their next signing destination in Houston.
Fans had been lined up for the sold-out event since 8 a.m., sitting under the unforgiving Florida sun well before the 5:30 p.m. check-in and 7 p.m. start time. Whether it was a 10-minute drive or catching a flight from out of state, fans made sure to show up. Lines wrapped around the entire Park Ave CDs’ plaza for several hours, which is not uncommon for Waterparks fans.
This isn’t the first time Waterparks has visited Park Ave CDs. The band and beloved Orlando record store presented a live performance, meet-and-greet and album signing for the band’s fourth album Greatest Hits back in 2021. Fans got to hear some of the tracks from the album live before Waterparks went on tour that November. Waterparks has previously performed at Orlando’s House of Blues and at several venues throughout Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
The vinyl guest of honor for this Orlando signing was the band’s sixth, Jinx, a 13-track LP featuring names like Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Michael Clifford of 5 Seconds of Summer, and even a song with spoken word by Knight’s mom. Early fan favorites of the album include “Tell Me Why,” “Mirage,” “Better Than Therapy” and “Gwen Stefani,” a long-awaited demo originally planned for Greatest Hits.
“Waterparks is a really personal band,” fan Sero Maldonado told Orlando Weekly. “I really relate to a lot of Awsten’s lyrics, because most of his lyrics really touch me in a way that most artists’ music doesn’t.”
Another fan, Madi Covas, shared a similar experience. “I’ve just been listening to Waterparks for so long; I think it was 2017 when I found them,” Covas said. “I’ve just been here ever since, so I just came to hang out.”
More fans showed up for the same reason, with some having perfect attendance at Waterparks’ Florida shows, some for their first time meeting the band, and even some whose first concert was Waterparks … at just seven years old.
The event began in earnest around 7 p.m., with fans brought into the newer side-room of Park Ave. Knight, with shock of pink hair, was hard to miss, even though several fans in attendance shared the same hairstyle. Fans brought gifts and shared experiences with the band. One devotee brought a Pokémon card with Knight’s face on it.
Whether showing off their tattoos, talking about the new album, or just thanking the band for being so outspoken on issues other bands steer clear of, Knight, Wood and Wigington made the experience special for their fans.
Knight posted on social media after the signing (which finally wrapped at around 2:40 a.m.) that the band would’ve stayed all night to ensure each fan got to chat, get their record or CD signed, and get their photograph. Several attendees took to X after seeing the post, sharing their gratitude that the band was so committed to getting to see everyone.
With only a couple of last in-store events left, fans are expectantly waiting for a tour announcement. For now, Central Florida fans are in luck; Waterparks will perform at 97X’s Next Big Thing Legends Live alongside Yellowcard and Dylan Cotrone on Sept. 4 in Clearwater.
