The Word Alive Tracked Down Their Stolen Gear and Made Friends with the Thieves
Before you read any further: folks, this is an AirTag. It’s a product made by Apple that’s about the size of a quarter, and it allows you to wirelessly track whatever you attach it to using your phone. One of them costs $29 and a four-pack costs $99.
If you’re in a touring band, BUY YOURSELF AIRTAGS RIGHT. FRIGGIN. NOW! Don’t hesitate. Just do it. Get four for the price of a round of shots for the boys. Or buy eight with the proceeds of 8-10 t-shirts you just sold. Do it!
Just ask The Word Alive, who were robbed on their current tour with Starset but tracked down their stuff thanks to these mighty little devices.
The band didn’t even involve the authorities. They simply looked on their phones to see where the AirTags were pinging back signals from and decided to roll up and confront the thieves themselves. Gutsy.
But the craziest part is what happened next (insert clickbait headline here). Aware that any kind of confrontational encounter could end in violence, they played it cool. There is power in numbers, of course, and the band rolled up with their full group. But they struck up a friendly conversation with the thieves, said they simply wanted their stuff back and didn’t want any trouble, and gifted the thieves weed and booze in exchange for their stuff. Then they posed for some photos and went on their way.
Frontman Tyler “Telle” Smith, posting on Twitter, shared photos of the incident. He elaborated, “By the end they were trying to sign us to a label deal lol one dude said ‘we could use a rock band.’”
MetalSucks recommends involving the authorities instead of going rogue, but we’re very glad this particular incident worked out.
The Word Alive resume their tour with Starset tonight. Remaining dates:
11/30 Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theater
12/01 McKees Rock, PA – Roxian
12/03 Buffalo, NY – Rapids Theater
12/04 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
12/05 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
12/07 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
12/08 Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
12/10 St Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
12/11 Madison, WI – The Sylvee
12/12 Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis
12/14 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
12/15 Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
12/17 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
