We The Kings is the kind of band that makes you feel young again. The party-like atmosphere they establish from the moment they walk on stage is unmatched. We The Kings is an Alternative Rock band from Central Florida, who have been releasing music since they graduated high school together in 2007. Since they are from Florida and this show was at The BayCare Sound in Clearwater, their families were in attendance and received many shout outs throughout the performance. 

They began their set with upbeat tracks, “Skyway Avenue” and “She Takes Me High.” This is where the crowd participation began. During “She Takes Me High,” Lead singer and guitarist, Travis Clark asked the crowd to get as low to the ground as possible during the pre-chorus of the song, and as he hit the chorus which starts with the line “She Takes Me High,” he instructed the crowd to jump up and dance as crazy as possible. There is always the vibe of childlike freedom when this song is performed this way.

We The Kings continued their set with more sing-alongs, “I Feel Alive” and hit “Say You Like Me” off of their 2011 album, Sunshine State of Mind. “Say You Like Me” was released acoustically, but for the Sad Summer Festival stage, they decided to play it with electric guitars, which was a great choice for the growing crowd with growing energy, as the wait for the headliners was growing shorter.

Something We The Kings likes to do is film portions of their music videos during their live shows. This time, they filmed content for their October 2023 single, “Alien.” During this performance, the band members threw inflatable neon aliens into the crowd and asked everyone to go wild. Again solidifying the party atmosphere they always attempt to create.

We The Kings is a band that also likes to play jokes on their crowds. This time, as they were nearing the end of their set, Clark said “Now we’re going to play our most popular song!” Which we all know is “Check Yes, Juliet.” However, this was not the case. They proceeded to play a cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Lots of laughter could be heard from the crowd.

They followed the cover of course with their most popular song, “Check Yes, Juliet,” which got the entire crowd singing along. Even people who are not familiar with the rest of their discography know every word to this hit. 

We The Kings has been making music together for almost two decades now. The longevity of their career is highlighted by the way they have mastered controlling a crowd. We The Kings will continue their run on the Sad Summer Tour this summer, like they did so many summers on the Warped Tour until August 9. Come ready to jump!

Review & Photos by: Emily Tonnessen

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