On April 16, Asking Alexandria performed at House Of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on their "All My Friends" tour with special guests; Nerv, The Word Alive, and Memphis May Fire! When they announced the tour, they posted the funniest video with the vocalists calling each other stating they should do a tour together! The night was filled with individuals wearing shirts from these bands that were made like over 10 years ago! What an amazing sight to see!
Opening the show was Nerv! I've seen Nerv perform several times and every time I see them, they never disappoint. I recently saw them on tour with Savage Hands and Archers and sadly the drummer, Tyler Clarks, mother passed away the day before the show in Atlanta. That show was filled with so much love and support and that's what needs to be seen more in this scene. You are in our hearts Tyler and I am so proud of him for pushing through this difficult time and performing on this amazing tour! Nerv also consists of these other members; Dillon Jones (Vocals), Scott Buchanan (Guitar), and Jordan Grokett (Guitar).
The band performed songs such as "Bad Nature," "Not The One," "Enough," and their newest single "Upside Down" released on April 12 with Awaken I Am! I was very impressed with their set and the amount of people in the crowd singing along to all the songs as I was walking around the venue taking photos!
Make sure you catch Nerv at these upcoming festivals; AfterShock and Louder Than Life!
Keep Up With Nerv Online: Linktree
Next up was one of my favorite bands back from 2010; The Word Alive! I've had the opportunity last year to photograph this amazing band three times on their tour with From Ashes to New and, let me tell you, their light production is insane, hands down one of the best! The Word Alive formed in 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona by Craig Mabbitt, Zack Hansen, and Tony Pizzuti which at the moment Zack Hansen is the remaining founding member of the band. The band consists of Telle Smith (Vocals), Zack Hansen (Guitar), Jose Delrio (Guitar) , and Daniel Nelson (Drums). Recently the band released a new single for League of Legends and, live, they performed their latest release "Rise" (Redux) effortlessly, as if it's been on the setlist for years. The track that currently has over 1.3 million Spotify plays!
Recently the band also had their equipment stolen, so when you see them on this tour make sure you buy merch and support! The band is also performing side shows with Memphis May Fire on April 11, 19, 20, and May 2! The band is playing Inkcarceration and Welcome To Rockville festivals this summer!
The Word Alive performed songs such as "New Reality," "Life Cycles," and "One Of Us!" I swear every time I see this band perform; they always get better and better. No one can top the amount of energy that Telle has on stage! Only vocalist I know that will engage constantly with photographers and fans in the crowd! I always loved watching this band perform due to their light production which every band should honestly have because good lights means better photos! And you can actually see all the musicians on the stage! If you haven't got a chance to see The Word Alive perform on stage yet; you need to!
The Direct support for Asking Alexandria was up next! Memphis May Fire! I saw Memphis May Fire last year at Capulet Fest and the very first time I seen this band was back in July of 2013 at Vans Warped Tour! I remember that day clearly; it was like 101 degrees and I got the worse sunburn that year waiting at the barricade for this band. I had blisters all over and yet I still stayed and supported!
Memphis May Fire formed in 2006 in Denton, Texas and currently consists of Matty Mullins (Vocals), Jake Garland (Drums), Cory Elder (Bass), Kellen McGregor (Guitar). Memphis May Fire was originally called "Oh Captain, My Captain" but decided to go with the new name in 2007! The band released their newest single "GrowingUp" in November of 2023! The album that made me love the band was "The Hollow" released in 2011 with "The Sinner," "The Victim," and "The Haunted" being my favorite songs off the album!
Memphis May Fire performed songs such as "Bleed Me Dry," "The Old Me," "Misery," and my favorite song "The Sinner!" The light production for their set with the explosive smoke machine was insane and made their set even more intense! They performed their newest single "Chaotic" before it was even released and I wish I could've recorded how the crowd sounded!
Finally, it was time for Asking Alexandria to take the stage! Honestly, the last time I had seen Asking Alexandria was in 2011 at Vans Warped Tour. Wow, that was 13 years ago. I can't believe I waited this long to see this band again, a band that basically shaped my music taste when I was a teenager. I became a fan in 2009 when they released "Stand Up And Scream." Each song off that album is currently on repeat on my Spotify because there isn't one bad song. Asking Alexandria released their EP "Dark Void" in the beginning of the year with "Dark Void" and "Nothing Left" having 15 million Spotify plays between both songs! The band consists of Danny Worsnop (Vocals), James Casselles (Drums), Cameron Liddell (Rhythm Guitar), Sam Bettley (Bass), and touring fill in guitar player Paul Bartolome. Ben Bruce recently departed from the band to focus on his family life
During their set, The last two songs that they performed were "A Prophecy" and "The Final Episode" and I attempted to crowd surf during both songs, but due to the intense and brutal moshing, it was difficult for anyone to crowd surf! When everyone screamed "OH MY GOD!", I knew this whole venue was about to get demolished because within seconds the moshpit grew in size and it engulfed the crowd. Listen; Us elder emos grew up listening to these two songs on the bus on the way to school and its literally part of our souls. The nostalgia from these two songs is what I needed because I know Danny stated in an interview that he wouldn't perform these songs again because of how harsh the vocals were in these songs many years ago, but he did it! And he allowed the crowd to engage as much as possible! "I've been singing this song for 16 years! Lets do it!"
All My Friends tour has to be the best thing of 2024. The tour series reminded me of a mini Vans Warped Tour with three of the bands on the lineup literally making my teenage years bearable! And of course we can't forget about Nerv! What a show! If I could see this show a few more times; I would. Each band gave it their all and the crowd was not disappointed! The best part of the night was when the security guards allowed a little girl to stand in front of the barricade towards the side because she stated that Asking Alexandria is her favorite band! Seeing all different generations enjoying this show reminds me that this scene will never lose its momentum and that the music will continue to keep fans happy!