With their 2016 track Heathens penned for the lead single for the hugely successful Suicide Squad film, an around the world fanbase who call themselves ‘The Skeleton Clique’ and over 100 dates for their Emotional Roadshow tour around New Zealand, Australia, the US and Europe, you’d be forgiven for thinking that twenty one pilots are a band that are taking over the world.
The band managed to squeeze in just two UK dates (and appearances at Reading & Leeds Festival) during their tour, with the second London date only being added once the first sold out almost instantly.
Although the band toured the UK in early 2016, the band have come a long, long way from their first visit to the UK back in 2013, where a short UK tour saw them visit smaller venues such as Heaven, London and Cockpit, Leeds.
To see them go on to sell out two huge gigs at Alexandra Palace (which holds around 10,000 gig goers), is impressive to say the least.
And despite being a down to earth two piece hailing from Columbus, Ohio, singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Joshua Dun still managed to offer the kind of show that is up there with the likes of rock legends.
There was a special feeling in the air that night, one that could be felt as soon as we stepped off the tube at Wood Green Station.
The band had even taken over the station, with all previous advertisements replaced with promotional posters and fan created art for the band.
It’s then that it hit me what a huge deal this gig was and although I was excited, I have to admit, I was a little bit wary too, being that I’m such a sucker for smaller and more intimate gigs. I wondered if the band would still deliver well in such a huge venue, but pushed this thought to the back of my mind as we hopped on a 21 Pilots bus (yes, they had their own bus service) to take us to the venue.
By the time the band came on, excitement was thick in the air and I found myself almost deafened by screams as they launched into an energetic and atmospheric performance of Fairly Local.
What followed next was a mixture of their most popular songs and singles to date (HeavyDirtySoul, Ride and Lane Boy) from their most recent album, Blurryface.
The inclusion of such songs of course inspired Tyler Joseph to take on not only the look of black paint smeared up his neck and hands, but also the persona of Blurryface, a character fans have come to know that represents the insecurities of the charismatic singer.
The band also performed some of their best loved tracks from 2013’s Vessel album, including the ever so emotional Car Radio, giving the audience the chance to attempt to rap along and then lose themselves during an incredible beat drop.
As well as some old classics, the band did more than just perform. The video graphics were incredible, which I was personally thankful for as I wasn’t close enough to see the boys themselves in person much.
We saw a lot more than just Tyler and Josh performing and the graphics were almost artistic in a way, especially with an almost space/universe like theme (with strobed lights looking like shooting stars) during perhaps one of the band’s most emotional tracks, Trees.
It was this song that ended the show on a high, with smoke bellowing out and over the audience and red confetti falling from the ceiling. On stage, Josh drummed his heart out and Tyler chanted along with the crowd.
They couldn’t have ended the show with a better track, and it was then that I realized just what was so special about the larger scale gigs at bigger venues.
They may not be as intimate and you may not be as close to the band, but nothing could beat the performance twenty one pilots offered that night, with amazing light prosthetics and stunning videography.
But, as they always do, they also proved that those extra’s weren’t necessary to put on a good show, as their performances on stage were just as astounding. They offered an indescribable energy on stage, with Tyler taking on the persona of Blurryface incredibly and Josh never once faltering on the drums (but still pausing for a backflip off the back of Tyler’s piano).
The whole show was so breathtaking that for the first time ever, I actually wish I’d gotten ticket for their second London show just a couple of nights later. Despite the fact that it was going to be the same set list on the same tour, I walked away from their show feeling like I was so overwhelmed that I simply didn’t take it all in and had to see it again.
It’s clear to see that any date of the Emotional Roadshow tour is much more than just a performance – it’s a show with plenty of additional elements to inspire and impress. But, despite performing to a sell out crowd of 10,000 during their London dates, the band still managed to prove that they can still strip it down to basics and connect with each and every fan in the room.
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