Imagine a world with Twenty One Pilots

After winning first place in Beyond The Dome’s ’Imagine A World’ case competition with Atlantic Records last year, my team and I received prize tickets to Twenty One Pilots’ concert in Chicago Oct.1. Though deeply excited, I went in aware of the fact that I really only knew about three and a half songs of theirs total which is different from pretty much all the other concerts I’ve been to. I did, however, end up having a fantastic time and left with a much greater appreciation and respect for the artistry of Twenty One Pilots. 

The duo, who became popular in the mainstream with the release of their 2015 album “Blurryface”, consists of Ohio natives frontman Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The most well-known of their repertoire are songs from their hit album “Blurryface” called “Ride” and “Stressed Out” (the latter of which won the Grammy for Best Pop/Duo Performance in 2017) as well as “Heathens”, a hit feature from the soundtrack of the 2016 film “Suicide Squad”. Some may also know their song “Tear in My Heart” from recent TikTok trends. 

Chris Woltman, the band’s manager, gave us a tour of the backstage as well as some insight into their thoughtfully developed lore, involving bishops and painted necks and hands. The show was opened by New Zealand alt-pop duo Balu Brigada who played some of their most popular songs like “Designer” and “So Cold” which came out this year. Their tunes were groovy, they had breezy and chic style I think could be categorized as “starboy” and the booming instrumentation made their opening set thoroughly enjoyable.

Then, it was Twenty One Pilots’ turn, who are colloquially known as TØP, and we see a masked Tyler Joseph begin singing as Josh Dun drums behind him with red-tinted hair. Based on clues from his Instagram which I scrolled through after the fact, I came to the conclusion that the hairdo was done by Dun’s wife, Debby Ryan. Following the first few songs, and a healthy amount of pyrotechnics to start us off strong, Joseph teleports to the balcony of the United Center arena, leaving the audience stunned and confused (I theorized about a look-alike or a body double being on stage with Joseph’s cat-eared mask on before the spotlight switched within a split second from “him” on stage to the real him in the upper bowl, but dropped this for the sake of the show’s full magical experience). 

There were many wow-worthy instances such as this spotlight teleportation trick (which happened more than once) throughout the concert, including having members of the pit hold up platforms that hoisted Dun’s drum set and eventually his body. Members of the fandom, quite literally, held Dun and his drum kit up as he played ferociously and captivatingly. Joseph was also held up by the bare hands of these members of the pit towards the beginning of the show, standing upright within a sea of fans’ hands. One part of the show entailed them literally performing from the pit, completely immersed in a pool of people. For another portion of the show, the two went to a piano and drum set that was raised above the pit, engaging and interacting with the audience in a meaningful way. One of the most special parts happened during this segment when they had specific sections of the audience lift up their flashlights at distinct syllables of their song “Mulberry Street”. Such a beautiful moment! The concert was not without its fair share of fire and sparks, which were strategically timed during certain significant moments in their music. 

And the cherry on top? Debby Ryan was in the audience with us. That may or may not have been my favorite part of the night.