Twenty One Pilots on The Clancy Tour: Breach
Consisting of lead singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun from Columbus Ohio, Twenty One Pilots is one of the biggest rock bands in the world right now and even if you don’t love their music, their show can still be admired and is guaranteed to impress even non fans.
On October 5th, The Clancy Tour Breach came to Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Fans began to line up around 10 pm off venue property the night before the show in order to try and get numbered wristbands from the band’s security for a chance to get a front row spot in the pit. This is not uncommon for fans to camp out before the show, as some shows in the past have had people waiting for over a week in fan-made lines. This just goes to show how highly anticipated Twenty One Pilots shows are and their show at Jiffy Lube was no exception. Many fans hang around the venue all day, trading bracelets, art, stickers, and other handmade items with fellow clique members. The Clique is what fans of the band refer to themselves as and a big part of going to shows is meeting other “Clikkies.” Another incentive of waiting around at the venue all day is the chance to be recorded by Twenty One Pilots film crew for a segment during the show in which they show footage of fans dressed up and singing along to "We Don't Believe What’s On TV.”
The show begins around 7:45 pm every night with Dayglow, an indie solo project of Sloan Struble. While he tours with a full band, Sloan is the main songwriter and producer of his own music. Dayglow has gained many fans by being on this tour with Twenty One Pilots and are sure to continue to grow. They are most known for a song off of the Minecraft Movie soundtrack titled “Change Song.”
Before Twenty One Pilots is set to take the stage, the line “What’s Your ETA?,” from their song “Midwest Indigo” is blasted over the speakers, followed by fans finishing the line and yelling back “TWO MINUTES” signifying the show will begin in two minutes
Opening the show (two minutes later) with “Overcompensate”, the lead single off of Clancy, Josh appears at his drum kit dressed in a black ensemble and a mask with glowing red eyes. As he begins to play, the entire arena is filled with anticipation for Tyler’s dramatic entrance. The intro slows down and just when the beat is about to drop, Tyler flies over the top of his piano and lands centerstage before grabbing his microphone. Every Twenty One Pilots show is filled with intricate details and production that add value to the show, even Tyler’s microphone lights up and is attached to a bright red rope cord that allows him to swing it around in an over the top fashion.
Followed by their lead single off of their newly released album Breach, “The Contract” is played next and the visuals on the screen behind them fill with more glowing red eyes. Halfway through the song, there seems to be technical difficulties as Tyler is seen throwing his microphone down and storming off to the side of the stage. While some may see his inability to keep it together as unprofessional, it just shows how dedicated he is to putting on a great show and how much he cares about the audience receiving their absolute best performance.
Tyler skips the next song on the setlist due to the technical difficulties and continues with the fan video segment and playing hit songs like “Tear In My Heart" and “Heathens.” In the middle of the show, Tyler and Josh are seen making their way to perform at the B-stage located in the lawn area of the venue. The B-stage has a car on it from the “Heavydirtysoul” music video and is rigged with pyro and flame effects. While at the B-stage, they perform songs while the car is on fire and Tyler does his famous “Message Man” ritual where he reapplies the black paint on his hands and neck before making his way back to the mainstage.
Something new that was added to this leg of the tour is his special dance during “Chlorine.” Many fans dressed up as Ned, a character from the Twenty One Pilots universe and music video, are seen surrounding Tyler and dancing with him as he sings the second verse of the song.
One of the many things I love about Twenty One Pilots shows is how much interaction there is with the audience and how Tyler and Josh bring part of the show to everyone in the venue. There truly is no bad seat in the house and everyone in attendance is left feeling special and seen because of this.
If you have been to a Twenty One Pilots show before, you know the show cannot end without them playing “Trees.” As the end of the song is played, the show concludes with their ritualistic finale. Tyler and Josh are seen with drums standing on platforms held up by members of the audience in the pit and the song's drum beat is pounded out into the venue as confetti canons release red confetti into the air. The confetti falls in slow motion and is the perfect representation of how you are left feeling after the show, floating along until the next.
Check out the full photo gallery here.