CONCERT REVIEW : TWENTY ONE PILOTS / BANDITO TOUR

TWENTY ONE PILOTS / THE BANDITO TOUR

October 28th 2018 / Philadelphia, pa

MORE THEN A REVIEW...

"find someone who makes you feel like the moment when the artist enters the stage"

- quote

My favorite quote perfectly describes the entire experience of the Bandito Tour. In my twenty eight years of life and twenty five years of going to concerts, I don't recall another show that so perfectly captured its audience and generation. I have always been a believer in individual concert experience and have never fully delved into personal experience, because it is different for each and every person who goes to each and every show of their favorite artists, but after seeing this show, I felt it only proper to give my honest, personal opinion... that it was an absolute masterpiece.

As the arena went dark, a bass pulsed through the building as a masked Josh Dun entered the stage, in full aesthetic attire, carrying a fire torch to lead the way into the TOP created world of Trench and the city of Dema. As he sat at his drum set, a burned, old-classic Cadillac rose with Tyler Joseph, also masked, standing atop, all as the instrumentals of "Jumpsuit" blared. The crowd continued to go completely insane through the opening, "Levitate", and "Fairly Local". Then, as "Fairly Local" began to descend, masked "Tyler" fell back into the main stage pit, when suddenly a mid-bowl section lit up to Tyler in the midst of the crowd, blaring the last chorus to the song, then ripping his mask off to reveal he was the real Tyler Joseph. I personally thought this concept was an absolute genius way to open an arena concert, having the crowd completely in awe of the unsuspecting moment. Although we will never truly know if it was all an illusion or if Tyler Joseph has perfected being in two opposite places at once, it was none the less an epic start.

Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have come to be two of the very few artists who truly seem to understand their generation and how to create and present music, story, aesthetic, and content. The Trench album has had a mere epic response on its own, but paired with the Bandito Tour, it has excelled to another level. It takes more thought and imagination to cut through the surface of the radio play of generic tracks that often do not move beyond a catchy chorus, but being able to create something that relates to every listener on content beyond the typical and this show only furthered the knowledge.

As a red beanie hat floated from the above tracks, down to Tyler's microphone, the guys entered the stage once again, Tyler, taking the hat and putting it on, propelling the show into two of the band's, thus far, biggest hits, "Stressed Out" and "Heathens". I thought the particular thoughtful attribute during "Heathens" was the lighting design, purples and greens, to serve as a nod to the track's movie counterpart, Suicide Squad. After a third attire change, Joseph appeared, doning white sunglasses and a floral button down open, kimono style shirt, with his ukulele in hand. The duo went into "We Don't Believe What's On TV" and "The Judge" before getting to "Lane Boy", yet another track that thwarted the arena into a frenzy. Electric must note that "Lane Boy" was another stand out of the show.

The guys then, once again, changed back into Trench aesthetic attire, going into massive Trench-track "Nico And The Niners". The crowd's energy during this song was something I haven't personally seen in a very long time, singing along and so excited to hear a specific song live. During this performance, the bridge walkway descended from the air, connecting the Main Stage and the B Stage. When Tyler finally approached the B Stage, he informed the crowd that Josh would be meeting him over there in his own unique way. Josh then came towards the left side stairs of the main stage and walked through the crowd. I was lucky enough to be viewing the show from this particular side, so I was able to take in the full experience of this part of the show. Fans on the GA floor flocked to my side of the arena, just hoping to get a glimpse of Josh Dun up close.

As the duo settled into the B Stage, Tyler took a minute to ask all of the lower and upper bowl fans to take this time to sit, as tribute to the guys' fathers, who had requested for a part of the show to be included where they could sit for a bit. I found this to be a uniquely gracious piece, further showing their respect to generations who have come before ours. They then performed "Taxi Cab" and went into my personal favorite track from Trench, "Neon Gravestones".

"NEON GRAVESTONES" / This song was the highlight of the show, performed as the duo sat at the B Stage, towards the back of the arena floor, from within a scrim that featured lighting and graphical content. Perhaps the meaning behind the track's conception is what makes it an even greater stand out. Joseph sings of our generation's seemingly morbid obsession with depression and suicide. The disturbing facts that the music industry, in particular, has long glorified musicians who take their "art" to the next level, turning their legacies into a twisted performance art. The reality of anxiety, depression, and mental illness mixed, in some cases, with a continuous party of alcohol and drugs has now been subjected to be the fashionable excuse for leaving the party early. The living knowledge that your after life fame would rise and grow into something much bigger then anything your living self could handle. Your worth would increase, leading you into the neon grave. The "insane asylum", as Joseph pens it, is the society in which our ages have created a world in which musicians and artists are praised for taking their own life, propelling their craft and work - their legacy - into a greater post-life fame, something that Joseph is all too aware of and insists he won't succumb to. It is our supposed love for someone famous that apparently never shows until they're gone, because it's only then, that we seem to label them icons and the greats of the industry.

It is, however, the last lines of the song that stands out the most, as Tyler Joseph oddly dictates to the listener: "find your grandparents or someone of age, pay some respects for the path that they paved, to life they were dedicated, now that should be celebrated". The ending lyrical statement that I, myself, could relate to. It is a musical piece like this that can help someone of youth pull away from negativity, rather then delve into it further. It is these last lines of the song that advise you to honor and respect elder generations, who in most cases, had it much worse then our generation will ever know, and it is those elder generations who chose to fight and overcome.

As "Neon Gravestones" came to an end, it led into tour title track, "Bandito", which featured incredible lighting and graphical effects on the scrim that encompassed Joseph and Dun while they played on the B Stage. The arena, lit up in appropriate yellow, fully took in the moment. Then came another banger, "Pet Cheetah". Josh, mid song, made his way across the bridge back to the Main Stage, back to his drum set and Tyler soon followed, making his way back across the bridge, hyping the crowd up even further with his rap-style break of the song. As the crowd calmed, Joseph took a minute to bring up to the stage, supporting acts, Max Frost and Awolnation. The artists joined Joseph and Dun for covers of "Iris" (by The Goo Goo Dolls) and "Hey Jude" (The Beatles), both of which had special meaning to Dun and Joseph, respectively.

As the other artists exited the stage, the intro for "Ride" began, with Josh, along with his drum kit, rose on a lift, above Tyler, who was on guitar and blasting out the popular lyrics. This was one of many pieces of the production that showcased Josh's insane drum skills. As the music for "My Blood" began, the arena went crazy, as Joseph and Dun appeared from the dark, dressed in skeleton hoodies and masks, a nod to the song's recently released music video. Halfway through, Tyler took his mask off and walked to the center edge of the stage, to split the crowd in half and see who could scream the lyrics the loudest. The two then went into "Morph", an almost musically dance-inspired track. As Tyler seemingly "hopped" about the stage, he then joined Josh on his drum riser, with he two rising above the Main Stage, together. Then, the song stopped, and Dun stepped down from his drum kit, took a walk across the stage to the left side and then back to the center, all the while crew members were setting up his crowd drum kit. Yes, that's right, a drum kit, supported by the hands of the GA crowd. It has become an infamous show piece for Dun, who before actually playing, stood atop of the kit, taking in 20,000 fans screaming his name. As the track over of "Morph"'s "Josh Dun" lyric played, Dun began an epic and unforgettable drum sequence.

They ended this set with "Car Radio", but not before Tyler exited the left side of the stage to run through the crowd, to the far back of the arena, where he climbed a pole to stand atop and finish out the song.

Darkness, as the crowd chanted "T.O.P." for the guys. After they appeared back on the Main Stage, Tyler at his piano and Josh at his drums, they performed "Leaving The City", the Trench album's final track. As the song ended, the Trench symbol appeared on the larger then life screens behind the guys.

Finally, came the much-dredged last song of the night, "Trees", a song that TOP has been ending their live shows with for years. Tyler, now back on top of the burned old-classic Cadillac, only this time playing a keyboard-style piano, and Josh on his main drum set, encouraged the crowd to sing along, with Tyler even requesting for all of the lights to be opened. As the song started to hit its peak, Tyler began to jump about the stage while shoots of smoke added yet another theatrical effect. As Tyler and Josh then headed for the center GA fans, they both took to surfboard-esque platforms, blaring the end of the song, with each of them banging on a singular drum and went out with a bang.

As yellow confetti and white smoke filled the Main Stage and front of the crowd, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun made their way back onto the stage to take their final bowl.

The crowd, so uniquely in sync, did not go unnoticed by the duo. Joseph took a minute towards the end of the show to make a public note that this, so far "has absolutely been the best of the tour. I don't care who you tell.", which only sent the arena into a further moment of insanity. They pair even managed to master a new inside joke, only this time, 20,000 other people were in on it as well. In my young life, I have been to hundreds of concerts, from dive bars to small theaters, amphitheaters, and arenas, but watching this crowd, at this show, was something I hadn't quite seen before. Crowds are always loud and roaring, fans always dressed like the artist and ready for a good time, but this was something beyond that. It was a unique formation of various ages, friends, and family. Every single person in the audience, branded with some form of "Trench yellow", a symbolic nod to the duo.

It was a Band of Banditos.

I only hope that more artists pay close attention to the artistic nature of this duo and take careful note. It is artists like this who do not come along very often but forever inspire generations to push creative arts to the next levels, artists like this who keep kids like me, with dreams and pursuits of backstage productions, to strive for something bigger then the industry trend, even when the masses think it'll never work, so thank you Twenty One Pilots for grasping your audience in a way so unique to anything else around.

*click through Electric/Rev Team's photo gallery below*

SETLIST

MAIN STAGE

Jumpsuit

Levitate

Fairly Local

Stressed Out

Heathens

We Don't Believe What's On TV

The Judge

Lane Boy

Nico And The Niners (transition to B Stage)