Parachute hypes up crowd with lights, old favorites

By Alexis Malapitan

American rock band Parachute brought the house down during its first DeKalb performance with pops of color and beaming lights.

DeKalb High School’s A cappella group, Enharmonic Fusion, opened up the show beautifully by doing mashups of popular songs like Adele’s “Hello” and Sia’s “I’m Alive” Saturday at the Egyptian Theater, 135 N. Second Street. The ladies especially impressed the crowd with their high notes and mature vocal range.

Parachute opened its set immediately with bright, colorful lighting effects, toe-tapping drumbeats and snazzy guitars and pianos. This all hyped up the crowd for the band’s energetic and passionate rock performance, which lasted just less than two hours.

The band performed fan favorites like “Can’t Help,” “Drive You Home” and “Didn’t See it Coming,” from their summer 2013 album “Overnight,” as well as “She is Love” and “She (For Liz)” from Parachute’s 2009 album, “Losing Sleep.”

Parachute lead singer Will Anderson spoke to the crowd and told them a little about himself after every song, which encouraged the audience to join him in singing the upcoming songs. He also praised the audience for being lively. Anderson sang “The National Anthem” prior to the band’s performance, which caused the audience to give him a roaring round of applause.

Kelsey TeBrink, 22, of St. Louis, said she has been a fan of Parachute for five years.

“I’ve never seen them live, so this was my first time. They were amazing. My favorite song that they did was ‘Something to Believe In,’” said Kelsey TeBrink.

I was very impressed with Parachute’s set. They have grown so much over the years and definitely gave me a show to remember. I particularly enjoyed their song “Kiss Me Slowly,” because it brought me back to my high school days.

Alyssa Fry, senior cooperate communication major, said she also has been a fan of Parachute for years.

“I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore fan, but after tonight, I think that might change,” Fry said. “They were great. I loved it.”

The band put on such an impressive show the audience demanded an encore. This led Parachute to sing “Something to Believe In,” from their 2011 album “The Way It Was.”

Kathy TeBrink, one of the event organizers from Shell Shock, said the event was a lot of fun to put together.

“They were phenomenal live,” Kathy TeBrink said. “We’re so excited to have them here.”