Waterparks Make Their Tilburg Debut One to Remember
Waterparks finally returned to the Netherlands after nearly three years and, for the first time ever, played 013 in Tilburg. The show was part of the ‘Prowler Tour’, named after the fourth track from their upcoming sixth album, and served as the final EU date before the band headed to the UK.
From the beginning, the night felt different. Singer Awsten Knight made it clear they’d be pulling songs from across their entire catalogue. That unpredictability reflects the tour itself. After a run of intimate ‘secret shows’ in 2025, in some of the smallest rooms the band has played since 2017, Waterparks seem to have reshaped their live approach. Each stop on the ‘Prowler Tour’ has become its own unique experience, with heavier crowd interaction and flexible set moments, something Tilburg benefited from as well.
The band took the stage about 20 minutes late, opening with ‘Blonde’, followed by ‘SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN’ and ‘FUCK ABOUT IT’. With no support act, all attention stayed on Awsten, Geoff Wigington (guitar) and Otto Wood (drums). Early in the set, ‘Dream Boy’ triggered one of the loudest reactions of the night, instantly justifying the all-eras approach. Just before the song kicked in, the crowd had already participated in picking ‘Telephone’ over ‘Peach’ in the first song vote of the night. And yes, the choice was tough.
The entire show was structured in themed sections, starting with Happiness, then moving through Sadness, Acoustic, Anticipation, and finally ending with Anger. During Sadness, Awsten shared that ‘Crybaby’ sits firmly in his personal top five Waterparks songs.
The acoustic section followed, with Awsten alone on stage, another element likely inspired by those smaller ‘secret shows’. It opened with ‘Mad All The Time’, before he played partial versions of ‘CALL ME BEEP ME’, ‘It Follows’ and ‘No Warriors’. During ‘2 Best Friends’, he encouraged the audience to jump along: “I want y’all jumping – to the acoustic. It might feel dumb, but I’m gonna enjoy it”. A later vote saw ‘21 Questions’ win over ‘Lucky People’.
Another fun interaction with the crowd came when Awsten said he’d choose to live in the Netherlands if he could live anywhere. The crowd jokingly booed, shouting, “There’s a housing crisis!”Awsten laughed it off: “I’ll live on a scooter, you’ll see me passing by your window… or I’ll be your roommate.”
Midway through the show, a major announcement followed, likely not news for all the die-hard fans in the crowd, but still significant: the new Waterparks album is officially finished. Awsten thanked the fans for their patience, admitting it was the longest they’ve ever taken to make an album, but confidently called it the best of their career. He also promised they would return to Tilburg to perform it.
The Anticipation section kicked off immediately with ‘IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL’, followed by ‘RED GUITAR’. A partial performance of ‘PROWLER’, which the tour is named after, sparked a mosh pit, while ‘ANY MINUTE NOW’ closed the section with phone lights taking over the two-thirds sold venue.
Finally, Anger delivered a powerful ending to the night. Opening with ‘TANTRUM’, it brought a few mosh pits and decent amount of crowdsurfing, briefly dipping during ‘REAL SUPER DARK’ before recovering. After ‘TURBULENT’, the band returned to close with ‘Like It’.
For their first Tilburg show, and the final EU stop, Waterparks delivered something dynamic, shaped by both their past and what’s coming next. The Prowler Tour wraps up on March 26 at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town so make sure to catch it. It’s one of the best tours around at the moment and that’s coming from someone who wasn’t even a proper Waterparks fan before this show.
