Winona Fighter Brings the Brawl to Waterparks' Prowler Tour!

Unequalled energy and unwavering angst took command of the stage at The Salt Shed in Chicago, Friday night, as the band Winona Fighter made their debut appearance supporting the Waterparks "Prowler Tour!" The three-piece band, composed of frontwoman and instrumentalist Coco Kinnon, lead guitarist Dan Fuson, and bassist Austin Luther, is a Nashville-based pop-punk band, recently formed in 2022. 

Winona Fighter brought many tracks off of their recent debut album, “My Apologies To The Chef,” to life in their opening set, including “You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers”, “R U FAMOUS”, and “Subaru.” Additionally, they set the stage on fire with their cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”- Kinnon stated that the cover went out to all the dads attending the show; regardless, this childless 22-year-old woman thoroughly enjoyed their rendition of this iconic '90s hit!

All in all, I can certainly call myself a Winona Fighter fan - following their incredible performance! Their stage presence and pure tenacity are impossible to resist, and they possess an energy that rivals just about any other live performance I’ve been to. I look forward to their future work and hope to catch them in another show soon!

Additionally, before Waterparks came on, I had the privilege of shooting the other opening act, Heart Attack Man. This Cleveland rock band sure packed a punch with their set, and the crowd was locked in! I enjoyed their overall musicality and their stage presence, though engaging, appeared effortless. You can tell they have a lot of passion for what they do and for anyone who gives them a listen.

And last, but certainly not least - WATERPARKS!

What isn't there to say about their set?

Awsten Knight knows how to put on a show, and he did not fail to deliver! I loved the overall format of this tour and the way it was laid out. The structure of the show centered on connecting music to the human experience, dissecting the concept, and showcasing songs that encapsulate emotions like happiness and sadness. They introduced these sections with quirky little videos, where a narrator would tell the next emotion in a black-and-white film style.

Another aspect of the show I appreciated was that they gave the crowd the choice of songs they wanted to hear, offering up two songs and letting the fans cheer for their favorite- like "Telephone" or "Peach (Lobotomy)" and "Bloom Boy" or "Not Warriors."

This isn't something you typically see artists do during live performances, and I loved how this creative decision allowed them to connect deeper with the crowd and give a more "personalized" charm to each individual show.

I must also note that the crowd was ELECTRIC! After the first few songs, Awsten exclaimed that they had already had more crowd surfers than their last two shows combined- way to go, Chicago!

Great music. Great crowd. Great concert.

It was an honor and a privilege to capture this show! If you're a Waterparks fan or just looking for a fun time, check out the Prowler Tour! They still have a couple of tour dates left on their U.S. leg and will be making their way to the U.K. and the E.U. Spring 2026.