Queen Media Collective

On November 1^st I got an email from Alt 105.3 with their general updates on concerts in the area and other alternative music news. I usually don’t scroll through the emails,  because sometimes it’s just random ads. I happened to come across a box in the email that said “If You Could Ask Twenty One Pilots, One Question, What Would Be?” I honestly vaguely remember entering the competition because I did not think I would actually win. On November 8^th I came back from my lunch break and I saw that I had an email with the subject “Alt 105.3 Twenty One Pilots.” When I first saw the email I thought that it was just another email reminding me that the concert was on Sunday and I was not going. But to my surprise it was an email saying that I had been chosen as one of the winners. I could not believe it! I was shaking I was so excited. It did not say anything about actually meeting them, but I was fine with just being in their presence.

When Sunday came around, I was bouncing off the walls with excitement. We had to be at the box office at 3:20 PM for the press conference. It was a nightmare getting to the correct parking lot and the box office because there was a Raider game going on at the same time. When the guy running the competition finally showed up to the box office, he told us he had good news and bad news. The good news was that the press conference was still happening but the bad news was that it was postponed for two more hours. He also told us that we would be able to take a photo with Twenty One Pilots, which I was not expecting! My husband ended up leaving because he had to go take care of our puppy and unfortunately no one was available to take his place. When we checked in, there was a group of three women, two young girls and a mom. The mom was disappointed that she could not go to the press conference because the winners could only bring one other person with them. I gave the mom the unused wristband since no else I knew could go and she was so happy. I hung out with them until it was time to go into the press conference.

I sat in the front during the Q&A. While we were all sitting there, I was starting to get nervous because when I do meet bands that I like, I always freeze up when I try to talk to them. The hosts of the Q&A are the DJs, Elvis and DK, from the new morning show on ALT 105.3 and they were so funny to talk to. DK said that the questions we wrote down were really unique and she was impressed.

When Josh and Tyler came out for the Q&A the whole room got so quiet. Elvis made a joke that we were all freaking out and going to pass out. It was so surreal to see them so close up. As soon as they sat down, DK called up the first person to start the Q&A. There was a huge variety of questions. The first question was about anxiety and how does performing on stage help with it. Tyler decided to answer the question first and I was flabbergasted with how honest he was about all of his answers. He said that it does not necessarily help with the anxiety but it’s a different kind of anxiety. He said that it is just something they have deal with head-on. Another question was about how they deal with writer’s block and what they do to get motivated again. One question was about what their favorite country to visit is. Josh said he liked South Korea because it was one of the first countries he visited outside of the United States. Tyler said Canada because he doesn’t leave the country very often. Another question was about having dinner with John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, or Kurt Cobain. Tyler said that he would take John Lennon to Taco Bell because John Lennon seemed like someone who would not go to Taco Bell.

It was finally my turn to ask my question and I was extremely nervous. I got up to the microphone and said hello to the guys. My question seemed really dumb after I entered the competition, but I guess it was not that stupid since I actually ended up in the press conference. My question was “If you guys were in charge of a festival lineup, who would be on the lineup?” I love it when bands talk about other musicians or other bands because it gives the fans an insight on their inspiration for their own music. In general, Twenty One Pilots never seem to talk about other bands and I was genuinely curious about what bands they like. I had a feeling that they were going to dodge my question and they did. Tyler went on about the politics behind festivals. He talked about how bands are used to bigger stages and longer set times and it is hard to please all of the bands. He then looked directly at me and said, “I know this really has nothing to do with your question.” I said I didn’t mind because hey I was a couple of feet away from the band.

After the Q&A it was time for the meet and greet. I had never been to a formal meet and greet before. It was such a quick process, they guy monitoring the line just pushed me into the tent and said stand in the middle. I couldn’t even see the guys because there was no lighting in the tent whatsoever. Josh asked me how I was doing and I said I was great and that my dad was super jealous that I was there. They laughed and then we took our photo. After the photo was taken I was hoping that my eyes weren’t closed.

The Q&A was a really awesome experience. The guys talked to us like we were friends and they were really truthful with their answers. I am so grateful for this experience and I hope I get the opportunity to do something like this again.

Photos from Alt 105.3