Unsuspectingly standing in the Monster sound tent, I heard Telle Smith exclaim something along the lines of, “Don’t let me down, Pomona. Let’s get a giant circle pit going all the way back around the sound tent!” Hearing his outrageous request, I at first thought, “surely these kids will not pull this off.” Faster than I could escape the targeted location, they grandiosely proved me wrong. I stood at the center of one of the biggest circle pits I have ever seen. Needless to say, I’m pretty sure I now know what it feels like to be surrounded by a hoard of crazed zombies. It is one of the most horrifyingly exciting sensations I have ever experienced. I recommend it.
The Word Alive gave one of the most hyped performances during Warped Tour in Pomona, CA. With an obscene amount of energy and a natural charisma, frontman Telle commanded the crowd for their entire 30 minute set. Playing new fan favorites like “Play the Victim” as well as old tunes like “2012,” The Word Alive certainly pleases their audience. The chemistry on stage between guitarist Zack and Tony makes for great showmanship as well. With a boisterous crowd that not once stood still and a signature backflip by Telle, The Word Alive captivated everyone in the vicinity.
Right before Warped kicked off, The Word Alive released a lyric video for their new song, “Never Forget.” The lyrics, pertaining to most anyone who has ever lost a loved one, a friend, or even a beloved pet, beautifully encompass a feeling of nostalgia, respect, and adoration for those no longer with us. To accommodate the song, The Word Alive asked fans to send in pictures of loved ones they will, well, never forget. Telle comments, “Every person who has a lost loved on in that video…that’s a video they will watch for the rest of their lives.” The lyric video honorably compiles all of the submitted photographs to create an everlasting treasure for everyone involved.
According to Telle, the passing of Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence greatly influenced him to write the track. “Even if you don’t like that style of music, you can’t help but be entertained. He’s a one-of-a-kind frontman. There’s so many frontmen I’ve been on tour with or I’ve seen on Warped Tour who want to look like him, move like him, sound like him.. and to be able to influence thousands of new bands, that’s an amazing accomplishment. To be an icon in our large genre. The other part of the song is for the remaining members of the band. Initially it was way too soon to think about continuing on. If you knew Mitch and knew the band, you knew it was the right thing to do. It was inevitable almost because of how much passion they put into those songs. It’s about those guys moving forward. As the line in the song goes, “the show must go on.” I think that’s what he would want and I think he would be really proud of them.”
In a scene like this one, unfortunately crawling with judgement, seeing bands respect one another like The Word Alive has shown through this video, sheds unbelivable blinding light on the future of this industry. Translating this respect to their own lyrics and their own stage presence, The Word Alive releases songs like “Life Cycles” and “Lighthouse” that give kids a positive message onto which to cling. Their Warped performance proves their connection with their fans, and gives hope to a generation overcome by Selfie Saturdays.
Make sure not to miss Luke’s favorite song from REAL. to play live this summer and prepare yourself for the song the band says the crowd goes the most crazy.
Favorite song to play off of the new album:
Luke Holland: Probably “Glass Castle.” People lose their shit when we play that.
Song people go most crazy for:
General Consensus: “Life Cycles.”
