On any other occasion, the thought of sitting under the hot sun for hours with hundreds of strangers doesn’t sound like an appealing idea. But this occasion was different. After four months of waiting, I was finally in line to see Twenty One Pilots. I could not have been more excited, seeing them live on stage had been a dream ever since I first heard their music in middle school. But standing there that Tuesday, under the hot sun with only one water bottle, the popular catchphrase many Twenty One Pilots fans say, “Stay Alive,” took on a whole new meaning. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in the situation. I was surrounded by fellow Twenty One Pilots fans, commonly referred to as the “clique” or “skeleton crew.” After passing the time by chatting, we were finally able to enter the venue, Echostage. Before going, my friends had warned me that Echostage was by far the worst music venue in D.C. And they weren’t wrong. My first thought was to look for a bag check to store my school bag I had brought with me, only to be told there wasn’t one. I decided to forget about it, as I noticed the General Admissions pit already filling up. It was in the 8th row, that I took my spot with two other friends that came with me… read more