One of the most unique aspects of the band Twenty One Pilots is their cult following. And I don’t mean that they just have loyal followers (which they do), I mean that when you pull up to one of their concerts you’re met with a sea of people all dressed as one of the characters from the storyline the band created that’s interwoven through their songs and albums for 13 years; everyone seemingly follows some sort of agreed-upon dress code. As I said, cult following. But I digress. 

Being surrounded by the characters from the storyline I love, and getting to act as one myself, made me feel like part of a family, which is something I love so much about Twenty One Pilots concerts.

The concert, which took place on Sept. 24 at Tinley Park’s Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, had Dayglow as the band’s opener. They performed for around 40 minutes, and they came on at 7:45 pm. Although their music didn’t stick out to me too much, they were very enthusiastic and happy to be there, which I always love to see in an opener.

At 8:43 p.m., two minutes before Twenty One Pilots took the stage, a booming robotic voice said, “What’s your ETA?” to which the whole venue screamed back with utmost excitement, “Two minutes!” A nod to their song “Midwest Indigo” from their album “Clancy”. With my excitement at an all-time high, and after waiting through the longest two minutes of my life, the band took the stage, beginning their performance with their song “Overcompensate.” I was ecstatic to learn they were opening with “Overcompensate” because the drumming, courtesy of the band’s drummer, Josh Dun, is one of my favorites out of all of their songs.

The setlist itself was mostly a medley of a lot of their songs from their latest album “Breach” and their album “Blurryface” which had celebrated its 10th anniversary six months prior to the tour. Although there had been some controversy surrounding the setlist, with fans complaining it had too many songs from one album and not enough from another, I loved it. The only thing I would have wanted to see was more songs from their second album–and favorite album–“Vessel”.

A moment of the concert I absolutely loved was the fade from their song “Heathens” to “Next Semester”. Using only his voice, the lead singer, Tyler Joseph, seamlessly switched from the melody of “Heathens” to the melody of “Next Semester”. Although I’m not the biggest fan of “Heathens”, I do love “Next Semester”, so the fade between them felt ethereal and gave me chills. 

Another ethereal moment of the show was the band’s performance of “The Line”. This song was definitely a fan favorite among the crowd based on their reaction when they recognized the starting notes. Which makes complete sense because the song emphasizes singer Joseph’s amazing voice. 

Another thing that really sets Twenty One Pilots’ performance apart from other bands is their tendency to venture into the audience. Many times throughout the show, singer Joseph and drummer Dun left the mainstage and wandered off through the many aisles of the crowd, dealing many high fives and visiting every nook and cranny of the venue, including the lawn. They performed a couple of stunts, including setting a car on fire (no, I’m not kidding), a nod to the music video of their song “Heavydirtysoul” and making the audience hold drummer Dun and his drum set up in the air. 

As per tradition, the band ended the night with their song “Trees”. This song never fails to make me, and the other dedicated fans of the band, emotional. It’s a reminder that although this great night is coming to an end, we’ll always be connected through their music, and like the band says, “We’re Twenty One Pilots, and so are you.”

Twenty One Pilots puts on a show you’ve never seen before, I can almost guarantee that. You can tell they love to perform, feel passionate about their songs and the story they’ve created, and appreciate their audience. Although I pretty much love every concert I go to, Twenty One Pilots will always have a special place in my heart. 

5/5 paws