Formidable // Jyler

One

(Story told in Tyler's POV)

I stand alone in my room, leaning against my dresser and looking at myself in the mirror. I layered up with a black hoodie over my grey t-shirt and a heavier flannel jacket overtop as it's the middle of January in Columbus, Ohio. It's unexplainably cold outside but thankfully it wasn't snowing and it hadn't been for a few weeks. I continue to look at my reflection and slip on a black beanie for more warmth before heading downstairs.

"Hey! I just finished packing my camera gear in the van so I'm ready to head out whenever you are," my roommate Mark says as he's sitting at the kitchen table.

"Alright let me go to the basement to grab my uke and we can go," I say back to him.

Tonight was Josh and I's first hometown show of the year and it was also our first show since November. We had taken off December for the holidays but that didn't mean that I hadn't stopped writing music. This cold winter season takes a toll on me mentally, but it ignites my passion for songwriting even further.

I grab my ukulele and put it in it's respectful case as I grab my backpack that's carrying any extra cables, interfaces, and equipment we might need that the venue might not have. It's always good to be prepared, especially with technical difficulties or if anything breaks.

Mark and I head out to the big white van in our driveway on Clancy Way. "God, you'd think I'd be used to the cold by now!" Mark rubs his hands together and quickly shuts the car door.

"I know," I agree with him as my teeth chatter. Thankfully my wooden piano shell with my synthesizer was actually still at the venue from November so we didn't need to run out in the cold to put it in the van. All we had to worry about was the cold while running back and forth with Josh and his drum kit. I crank the heat up and pull out of the driveway as we head to go pick up Josh.

As we approach Josh's house I see a figure standing in the driveway surrounded by drum equipment. I laugh to myself as I pull into the driveway and roll down my window. "Dude, why are you standing out in the cold?" I continue to laugh.

"I wanted to acclimate myself so I wouldn't be so cold when coming outside when you got here but it's not really working," Josh shrugs and laughs with us. Mark and I jump out of the van and open the back as we load Josh's drums carefully and stack them in the most sturdy way possible. We're once again on the road, van full of equipment and drums and a small ukulele case, and it rattles as we drive over the potholes in the road.

-

It's about 5:30 as we make our way into the dark venue in downtown Columbus. The show starts at 8:00 so we have plenty of time for soundcheck and dinner. The venue staff help turn all the lights on as we load our equipment inside and onto the stage.

I turn down a hallway behind the stage and find my piano sitting in the dark. I flip the light switch on the wall and smile as I see the beat up piano shell. This thing went everywhere we did in the van, state after state, venue after venue. The scratches and dings gave it character. I run my fingers across the corner beam that I had written "twenty one pilots" on.

My friend Michael turns the corner and attempts to scare me, but it's no use. I really don't scare that easily. "Hey man! Long time no see!" He gives me a big hug. His dad is Josh and I's tour manager and is the one that helps book all of our gigs.

"Hey dude, it's really good to see you," I smile as I pull back. Michael is one of the best roadies we have. He comes to almost every show with us and helps us move our equipment since he's so fit. He also helps handle any venue issues since his dad doesn't come on the road with us too much.

Michael and I start to gently move my piano around the corner and up the stairs onto the stage. We weave around Josh piecing together his drum kit and things start to feel in order again as we set the shell down on the left hand side of Josh. Even though it's cold outside, the heavy lifting gets the best of us and we peel off our layers of clothes, being perfectly fine in our t-shirts.

"Hey can I order pizza or are we gonna go somewhere after soundcheck?" Josh raises his hand like a kid in class.

I laugh at him, "Go ahead dude, we'll eat it after soundcheck".

Eventually more and more of our crew mates arrive and start setting up the sound and lights. Josh and I mess around with our respective instruments and I give feedback on what volume levels I want for what. Live shows are extremely important to me and I always want them to be executed flawlessly. I always get in such a zone when I'm getting ready for shows and Josh helps me release my tension.

"Tyler, hey," Josh walks around his drum set and sets a hand on my shoulder. "Relax man, everything will turn out fine I promise you," he gives a slight smile.

"I know, I know," I chuckle lightly, snapping back to reality. "I just love what I do man," I smile back at him.

We run through our songs and make sure all the laptops are running smoothly and eventually we head backstage to the green room to eat our pizza. As I walk into the green room I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. I pick it up and see the name "Mark Artrip" flash across the screen.

"Surprise! I'm visiting from Minnesota and I'm coming to the show tonight. Do you mind if I pop by before hand to say hey?"

My face lights up as I read the message. I had gone to high school with Mark and didn't get to see him much since he recently moved to Minnesota after getting married.

"Yeah of course!" I reply. "Let me know when you're here and I'll meet you in the back".