Take It All In: iHeart Radio Reflection Post

In 2007, when we started this band in John and Stephen’s parents’ garage, I never would have believed that we would play a show with Queen, Elton John, and Katy Perry.

Thank you, Macy’s and iHeart Radio, for making my wildest dream come true.

A week after the iHeart Radio Festival, it all feels like one big dream. We landed in Vegas day-of-show from a gig in San Francisco and scrambled to our hotels drop off our bags before sound check. When I got to the venue, Ryan Seacrest was sound checking to the teleprompter and I looked around at all the empty seats, knowing I’d stand before them filled with 15,000 people later that day.

After sound check, I had a quick moment to find my parents and grab dinner.

They flew in for the show, which was pretty amazing after six years of doing this. I don’t get to see them often. So, it was pretty special for them to come to the festival (and they’re coming to watch us at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade too!). It felt like a holiday.

Showtime. I remember having so much press that I didn’t even have time to be nervous for the show. We spoke to Rolling Stone (Dad was proud), Billboard, The CW, and more up until the very second we had to go on stage. The last thing my mom said to me was, “Take it all in.” One deep breath later, five kids from Arizona were opening the show in front of 15,000 people. We played 2 songs, “Lightning In a Bottle” and “Boomerang,” and we fucking KILLED it. My favorite moment was during Josh’s guitar solo out of “Lightning In A Bottle” when I took a moment for myself and laid down on the catwalk to “take it all in.” It was the show of a lifetime.

We met and shook hands with tons of amazing people after the show. Then, I watched Elton John and Queen with my dad. It was a perfect night.

And Vegas wouldn’t be Vegas if my best bro Alex Deleon and I didn’t go out and create debauchery until sunrise!

Six million people voted for us to be the Macy’s iHeart Radio Rising Stars. I’ll never be able to wrap my head around that. We’ve been a band for six years and our fans make us feel like we’re brand new. Here’s to six more.

We love you, Legends. I hope you guys feel like this show was as much yours as it was ours.

What did you think of our iHeart Radio Performance?