Twenty One Pilots really brought the house down when they performed at TD Place on April 1 on their Blurryface Tour. No, really—the concert literally damaged the ceiling of the nearby Goodlife Fitness. It’s now closed, all thanks to the duo’s spectacular show.
Twenty One Pilots really has a knack for making a sold-out arena of 10,000 people feel intimate and like they’re home. After all, the crux of what they’re trying to achieve through their music is the idea that no one is ever truly alone.
Coleman Hell opened the show. The Canadian’s seven-song set was energetic and rambunctious, and the singer really got the crowd even more hyped up for Twenty One Pilots than they already were. Despite the fact that the crowd seemed largely unfamiliar with his songs, beyond the chart-topper “2 Heads,” the singer did a solid job of getting the audience to interact with him.
After a brief interlude, Twenty One Pilots burst onto the stage in a truly vibrant yet eerie opening. A glowing, swinging microphone descended onto the stage from above, blindingly bright lights flashed red and white, and frontman Tyler Joseph leapt onto his piano to grab onto the mic as drummer Josh Dun began to bang out their opening song, “HeavyDirtySoul.” It felt urgent. It felt powerful, like we were all witnessing something very real and yet somehow otherworldly.
It’s hard to pin them down to any one genre, but TOP connects so fully with their fans because of the candid nature of their songs. They are brutally honest about the gritty, harsh, terribly sad realities of mental illness, yet the one thing that always shines through their music is an overwhelming feeling of hope, and this translated into their live show as well.
Even though it was just the two of them on an enormous stage, they commanded it with ease, and interacted with the crowd differently than most performers I’ve seen. They were less about the typical concert small-talk, and more about actions. From Joseph disappearing mid-song to jump onto the railings on the far left of the general admission area and climbing high up into the seated area as well, to Dun having the crowd hold up an entire drum kit for him to play on, the show was an interaction.
Their stage show itself was fairly simple. Besides the hanging microphone, and a sheet that Joseph used as a prop, the songs’ stories were told through a combination of Joseph’s wardrobe (from ski masks and skeleton zip-up hoodies to flowery kimono-esque shirts), and a truly compelling combination of lighting and background visuals. I didn’t think colourful lights could convey emotions, but TOP proved me very wrong.
Their 17-song set was filled with emotional highs and lows, but the duo kept the energy high—Joseph had an affinity for making giant leaps over his piano, and Dun happily took a back flip off of it, and they encouraged the audience to keep jumping throughout the set too. Joseph tends to let the audience sing some of his most powerful lyrics, and it almost intensifies their impact when you hear thousands of people screaming about staying alive together.
A negative aspect of their shows is that they’re not super accessible to someone who doesn’t identify strongly as a fan. So if you’ve heard “Stressed Out” on the radio and wanted to check them out, you might not have as cathartic of an experience. There’s very little actual speaking to the crowd, and as I said, a lot of the experience hinges on that interactive giving and receiving which can be hard for a casual listener or attendee to follow. Also, if you’re epileptic, do not go to this show. The lights are overwhelmingly flashy at times.
Overall, TOP kept the balance of songs between their two signed releases, Vessel and Blurryface really well. Joseph and Dun are both strong performers, and though Joseph doesn’t say much, when he does (including when he thanked the crowd for one of the most memorable shows he’s ever had), it seems authentic.
If you ever have the chance to see Twenty One Pilots live, you won’t be disappointed.
