After hours and hours of enduring the pouring rain, sleeping under tarps on the sidewalk and exhaustion from the nights prior, fans were eager to step into the heated Nationwide Arena.
Twenty One Pilots’ fans are infamous for camping out for the band’s concerts for days prior, to ensure they receive the spot they’ve been waiting for since tickets were secured. People with smudged numbers on hands indicating their place in line were happy to be greeted with official wristbands from the venue the day of the concert, reestablishing their wait wasn’t wasted after all.
Fans brought out their engineering skills when it came to the night prior to the event, hanging up tarps over railings with zip ties to keep them in place. Strangers gathered together to make “mega tents” which consisted of multiple tarps placed next to one another, after the arena's poor management “forgot” to notify campers that actual tents were allowed on the property.
The day of, clique members were relieved to hear they could leave the line to get ready, per usual for these concerts. Fortunately, for the people who had hotels or friends to stay with, they didn’t have to endure the art of getting ready in a nearby bathroom of a store that didn’t want them there anyways.
Doors opened for general admission shortly after 5 p.m. and the excitement filled the room as fans walked single file to the stage. The empty arena built suspense knowing in a few short hours, thousands of people would be in the room to become one unit.
Openers consisted of Jay Joseph, the singer of Twenty One Pilots’ brother, and the band Half Alive. Both put on a fantastic show, which built the anticipation even more.
When Half Alive finished, everyone counted down the minutes until 9 p.m., when Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun would make their appearance on stage. Shock filled the room when moments before 9 p.m., the lights went out. Screams filled the air and everyone shoved forward, creating a sense of closeness throughout.
The duo opened with “Good Day” from their newest album, Scaled And Icy. The two continued with another song from the new album, “No Chances,” mixed with “Fairly Local” from their hit album, Blurryface. The boys are known for mashing up songs during live performances, trying to catch their audience off guard, but never managing to do so. The fans stay prepared for a different song and for them to make their way toward the crowd at any moment.
Followed by a couple more songs, the crowd got wild for “Holding Onto You.” While in past tours Joseph and Dun went out into the crowd for this song, the song was shortened for this tour, but they kept in the famous backflip off the piano. After Dun flipped off, screams managed to grow even louder.
While A-Stage was filled with about 12 songs, Joseph moved to B-Stage, making his way through the audience, high-fiving the people on the barriers. Joseph performed his cover of “Bennie And The Jets,” “Redecorate,” and a shortened version of “Hometown.” “Hometown” is typically saved for the shows in Columbus, where the two grew up. Ohioans always go fanatic for this tune, and for good reason.
Back on A-Stage, Joseph stopped the show for someone holding up a Michigan shirt. We passed the shirt up from the stands to the front of the pit, where he then proceeded to ask his crew if he could burn it on stage, to which they unfortunately said no.
A new addition to this tour was the campfire set, where the duo and background band sat around a makeshift fire, and performed acoustic versions and covers of songs. They performed a few of their own, along with covers of “Home,” “My Girl” and “I Can Clearly See Now.” It’s much different to see their songs performed acoustically when fans are used to the electricity of former tours and all of the instruments/visuals involved.
As the concert was coming to a close, the band performed more classic concert songs, including “Car Radio” and “Ride,” as well as newer songs. Before the finale, the two played “Shy Away” which was one of the first singles released from the latest album, keeping the fire going.
After “Shy Away,” the crowd knew what time it was. Joseph sat down at his piano and the lights turned green, signaling that “Trees” would soon begin. “Trees” has always been the final song for their concerts, and it never disappoints.
He gave his final speech, and the crowd became one. Halfway through, the music kicks up and Joseph and Dun come out into the audience with their drums. People on either side swarmed to be closer and hold them up, creating a divide in the crowd. The pit got ready for the confetti to fill the air and for it to come to an end.
Tears were shed and screams continued to fill the air as the two put arms around one another and bowed before the crowd.
“We are Twenty One Pilots and so are you,” the duo said.
