Six years on from Twenty One Pilots last visit to Australian shores, the Ohio-based duo once again showed their prowess as incredible live performers.
The cult legends put on a two-plus hour show for Melbourne audiences, combing through the very best of their discography (across 30-plus tracks) at Rod Laver Arena last night (19 November).Dedicated fans lined up early to find their ideal spot in the arena. The crowds of people surrounding the arena dressed to represent the many eras of the band and their relative character outfits and colours, bringing a sea of red beanies, blacked-out hands and necks, and fabled past tour merch.
Joining Twenty One Pilots on their Clancy world tour were fellow alt-pop duo Balu Brigada, an unfamiliar name for many in the crowd.
Appearing as a live four-piece, the New Zealand act quickly found their groove, band members enjoying the space of the stage, with Beasley brothers Henry and Pierre jumping around and climbing the nearby subwoofers with clear glee.
While Henry may have had an epic voice break on a rendition of a new track, 'The Question', the boys banter quickly turned it into a funny bit, which played well with the cautious crowd.
Playing as an opener to a Twenty One Pilots-centric audience can be a daunting, and sometimes difficult task, but Balu Brigada's confidence, swagger and chemistry ended up winning the crowd, with the band leaving the stage to huge applause.
Twenty One Pilots - image © Chris Dy
The arena had well and truly packed out, with the floor filled and many previously empty seats now filled with bodies. An ominous voice broke the anticipation that filled the air: "What's your ETA?"
Twenty One Pilots' show started with a bang, with a huge black curtain dropping and frontman Tyler Joseph sprinting onstage, via a huge leap off of their signature piano, and blasting straight into the first track, 'Overcompensate' from the band's latest album, 'Clancy'.
The crowd was into it before the track even started, many of them previously being to TOP shows and understanding what happens. For those who may be new to the band's self-adopted clique, a Twenty One Pilots show is all about crowd interaction, Joseph and drummer Josh Dun's chemistry connecting on an emotional level.
While the onstage production was in overdrive, with lasers filling the arena's dark atmosphere with every song and physical backdrops constantly changing, such as the rotating light arrays, the large pillars of Dema being 'lit on fire', and the large TOP logo changing colour to represent what era was being played; the band also had multiple sets of pyro that unlike some other shows, were being fired as constantly as possible.
Twenty One Pilots - image © Chris Dy
Each song felt only possible live with the interaction of the crowd, which is what makes Twenty One Pilots' shows so unique. You could almost put on a live show without the band there, just with 100 dedicated, screaming fans.
"It's been way, way, way too long," jested Joseph. Cramming in so many different incredible moments of this live show, such as playing instruments in the crowd, 'teleporting' around the room, and having a crowd member assist to sing the chorus of hit song 'Ride', there was little downtime in the production, apart from slower moments brought by songs like 'Paladin Strait' and 'The Craving'.
There is absolutely no doubt that Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are still at the top of their game, bringing more energy to a live show than you would commonly find in a premier four- or five-piece rock band.
Twenty One Pilots - image © Chris Dy
The Clancy world tour again showcased just how important this duo is to so many, and with the band promising not to be so long until their next visit, here a little rundown of all the best moments from the set.
Overcompensate
The opening track with Tyler launching himself from his piano, and later finding himself playing the ending synth on the ground. Tyler finishes this track by jumping into the crowd and using those in the front row to hold him up.Holding On To You
Josh shows us his signature effortless backflip from the piano.
Twenty One Pilots - image © Chris Dy
Car Radio
Tyler teleports to one of the sides in the seated area with a huge bang, with the audience wondering how he got there so fast after being onstage just moments beforehand.The Judge
'The Judge' began with a recorded video of Melbourne fans talking about the band and singing the beginning of the track, which evolves into the live version with lyrics from 'Cut My Lip' included.Heathens
An unexpected addition to the set, the theme from 'Suicide Squad' made an appearance in the set, with the crowd being taught the 'Watch It' chant used later in the track.Addict With A Pen/ Migraine/ Forest/ Fall Away/ Mulberry Street
These tracks were a highlight about halfway through the set with both Dun and Joseph in the crowd on small platforms, playing through a medley of these older tracks in a more stripped-down version.Navigating
A track that finished the piano medley and saw Dun appear, similar to Joseph earlier, randomly in the crowd, dressed in a jumpsuit and holding a torch flame, which he led his band partner to the stage with. This track introduced the background of the nine large pillars, or Dema as fans would know.
Twenty One Pilots - image © Chris Dy
Oldies Station
Joseph wrangled this track solo, armed with only his guitar and his grace playing to background visuals of fan art that had been collected through many years.Ride
'Ride' was a huge moment in the set, and one more of the drawn-out ones. While one astounding moment was when the crowd ended up singing the whole second verse leaving the frontman bewildered, a more cute moment came where Joseph shared his smaller, crowd-centric stage with young Bailey, who absolutely smashed assisting the band in singing the chorus.Trees
The iconic closing track for the cult duo that they're so well known for. This track sees the band navigate into the very centre of the crowd and perch two drums, one for each, on top of the raised hands of the audience to perform the final part of the track.It's a spectacle to see and one of the reasons why this band is so special and their fans feel such a connection to them, as it's hard to imagine other acts that can maintain this level of trust between themselves and their audience.
More photos from the concert.
