Two Men, A Catwalk, and A Whole Lot of Yellow
Twenty One Pilots stopped at the Tacoma Dome last Friday, Nov. 16, for their Washington state stop on the Bandito Tour. Having seen them two years ago on their Emotional Roadshow tour at the WaMu Theater, I was honestly unsure of what to expect.
I knew Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, the two members of Twenty One Pilots, could put on a show — I had seen them two years ago during their Emotional Roadshow. I was not sure how anything could top their last show with the giant red hamsterball that came rolling over our heads during “Guns For Hands,” or the vanishing trick Joseph pulled during “Hometown,” reappearing in the upper seats of the arena.
However, I was not disappointed. Joseph and Dun were back after a year-long silence with an amazing new album and a yellow color scheme to rival the previous album’s red and black.
The show opened with Max Frost and Awolnation’s warm up sets. Both were surprisingly good, putting on an exciting show with plenty of crowd participation.
After the opening acts, the show truly began. They closed a curtain to set up the stage. Once they had finished, the speakers began to play Fortnite menu loading music, and the curtain was dropped. Dun appeared on stage in camo with yellow tape, holding a flaming torch.
He looked out over the crowd before heading over to his drum set, with Joseph appearing atop a burned-out car on stage. As the song Jumpsuit began to play, the car burst into flames and Joseph grabbed his bass — the show was on.
Filled with excitement, surprises and new tricks, I can safely say that the Bandito Tour was well on its way to compete with the Emotional Roadshow. “Fairly Local” took “Hometown’s” spot in the setlist, with a stunt double dropping off a raised platform only for Joseph to appear elsewhere in the arena.
“My Blood” featured a crowd split during the breakdown, with Joseph conducting either side of the arena to sing various parts, and “Nico and the Niners” had the catwalk descending above the crowd.
Joseph made his way across the bridge, ending up at their smaller, more intimate B stage where they sang older songs from their earlier albums like “Taxi Cab,” and also piano-heavy songs from their newer album like “Neon Gravestones” and “Bandito.”
“Pet Cheetah” began, and Dun walked across the bridge, ripping his jacket off to show “Follow @tylerrjoseph” written across his chest, the lead singer’s Twitter and Instagram handle. Joseph followed close behind, staying on the bridge to rap “Pet Cheetah” and sitting down near the front of the pit to sing the chorus.
The duo invited their openers back up for familiar covers of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls, with Joseph jokingly telling the crowd that the first time Dun heard this song was when he had his first pizza roll.
They also covered The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” The end of “Morph” featured Dun on a drum platform held up by the crowd with a solo, and Joseph paused the show to listen to our cheers, taking a moment to hear the gigantic crowd supporting their band.
The “Trees” finale, an all-too familiar concert closer for Twenty One Pilots, was back at its rightful place. Joseph spoke before the song, thanking the band’s crew and having us cheer for Dun.
They also thanked their crew for how long they spent building their set and finally thanked the crowd, saying that even though we are there to see them they believe we are the ones who put on this show.
By the end of the concert, I was convinced that this band’s ability to put on a show only grows over time. They’ve matured, but have also changed their show to aid its flow while still keeping many of the fan-favorite tricks and stunts.
Overall, the concert was a success and the band is back doing what they love to do best — perform live music.