Jamison
Parker says goodbye in San Diego
By Angela O’Brien
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Pop-metal legend Def Leppard and Bryan Adams dominated the San Diego Sports Arena,
yet several yards away, the Juliana Theory and JamisonParker performed remarkably
well before their cult following at Soma Sidestage last Friday.
Newcomers, For the World and June opened the show.
Last week, while touring through Iowa, some of June’s musical gear was
stolen from its van. Friendly duo JamisonParker lent a helping hand and some
of their equipment until they got back on their feet. Not letting their trials
hinder their future performances, the quartet pressed on.
June’s pop-indie sound was not unique, but that did not stop them from
being enjoyable. The relatively young quartet had about as much energy as a child
who just downed 10 Red Bulls.
The only time A.J. Brown, bassist/spokesperson, paused for a breath was between
songs to deliver comical requests for the audience, such as stopping by the merchandise
table to buy the album or just talk with the band.
After June completed their active performance, the show took a swift change of
pace for the night. JamisonParker performed its melancholy set before the anxious
fans. Jamison Covington’s raw, emotional vocals struck a wounded chord
in the hearts of all, but according to Covington, the bands live performance
is a “good interpretation of the album’s songs.”
“
Sometimes [our set] is chaos and sometimes we just play [the] songs,” Parker
Case, of JamisonParker said.
The stage presence between Covington and Case felt distant. They paid careful
attention to the crowd, but not to each other. It could have been the nature
of the isolated, downhearted music. Or maybe it was the fact that the concert
at Soma marked the second to last show for the duo. Perhaps a mixture of both.
“
Our last show is tomorrow,” said Covington, referring to the end of their
three year musical project Saturday at the Chain Reaction. The Orange County
natives will leave the tour early and separate their conjoined names, moving
on with other musical ambitions without each other.
“
[Success is] being happy,” Case said. “A lot has happened in a
short period of time.”
After JamisonParker’s disheartening short goodbye, much of the crowd dissipated
making room for Juliana Theory fans to rush to the edge of the stage in anticipation.
Meanwhile, the headliners were making their way back to the venue from the Def
Leppard concert.
Brett Detar, of Juliana Theory—looking sharp in his black and white suit
and slicked back hair—threw winks into the audience as he crooned to the
crowd with his melodic vocals. As he performed, he made eye contact with individuals
in the crowd knowing exactly how to work the intimate setting.
Starting their set off with a bang, they performed “Shotgun Serenade” from
their new album “Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat.” In pure Juliana Theory
fashion, the song begins slow and mellow, then bursts into an aggressive, emotional
ballad resulting in a small mosh-pit of splendor. The East Coast quintet beautifully
blended both old songs with new songs in their hour-long set. They played all
the crowd favorites, including “If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would
You Stop?,””“White Days” and”“Music Box Superhero.”
According to Detar’s tour journal, San Diego was his worst performance
in years, however from the audience perspective that night, that is far from
the truth.
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