Colony House Brings the “Vibes” to Orlando
Recap by Paige Moyer | Photos by Elizabeth Fernandez | View full show gallery here
February 23, 2023 — "There are great vibes in this room", Colony House lead vocalist Caleb Chapman expressed as he spoke to the audience Thursday night, "I heard that [the word] vibes is going to die in 2023… but I am going to keep it alive".
Good vibes are an excellent way to describe a room filled with people smiling, dancing, and singing their hearts out to their favorite songs- which is exactly the experience I got seeing Colony House.
This unique indie rock band is currently on the road for "The Cannonballers Tour". This tour followed the release of their fourth full-length album "The Cannonballers", which was released on February 3rd, 2023. Colony House is known for their feel-good, head-banging music that captures their audience with a range of emotions. I had the pleasure of attending their stop at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. The show was supported by opening act "little image" whose set was electric and left the crowd pumped for the main act.
Once the house lights dimmed for the final time of the night, a deep, mystic voice helped introduced the story of the night to the audience. The stage lights came up, including a neon sign that commemorated their album, and the crowd roared as Colony House appeared on stage. They opened the show with "Landlocked Surf Rock" and an insane drum solo from their drummer, Will Chapman. Their set list included hits such as: "Would Ya Could Ya", "Silhouettes", "Trying to Survive" and "Cannonballers".
In the midst of the show, Caleb Chapman thanked the crowd for coming out to the show stating that he was "skeptical" of playing the House of Blues because of the larger-sized crowd, but nonetheless, the fans showed up in numbers. This venue is very familiar to me, and it always adds a unique aspect to shows as it sits upon Walt Disney World property, leading to many artists visiting the parks before the show. Chapman shared that Parke Cottrell, bassist, is a huge Star Wars fan and that riding the Rise of the Resistance at Disney's Hollywood Studios was a life-changing experience for him. Fans cheered him on and shared the excitement.
Anyone who was in the room would agree that the connection between the band and the audience was strong. There were a few notable moments where the connection grew even more powerful. One being when Chapman called to stage a fan in the audience to play the guitar for a song. A fan named Nathan joined the band on stage for an incredible performance of "220" which left both the band and the audience wanting more. I also took some time to watch the audience throughout the show, observing one female fan smiling with tears in her eyes as she sang the lyrics to "Where I'm From". Everyone shared a special moment when the members of "little image" joined Colony House on stage and embraced each other while the audience sang out the lyrics to "Moving Forward" with them. The most memorable moment of the night for me was when Caleb Chapman jumped into the crowd making his way to the back of the venue where he stood on a ledge singing to the audience. On his way to the back, he high fived fans in the crowd and stopped to throw his arm over the shoulders of a male fan and sang the lyrics with him, a very heartwarming moment to witness. It truly represented the sense of love and family in the room. They closed out the show with an encore of "You Know It" that sent the crowd jumping around and the energy radiating throughout the room.
It is without question that Colony House put on a stellar performance, capturing the hearts of their audience and it is clear that they love what they do. Next time Colony House makes their way to your city, take the opportunity to experience this special show for yourself.
