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Twenty One Pilots’ Emotional Roadshow Tour in Tucson


Twenty One Pilots released its latest EP TOP X MM of remixes off its album Blurryface with Mutemath in December 2016. The band’s hit album Blurryface came out in May 2015 followed by its single “Heathens” for the movie Suicide Squad in June 2016 and its cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Cancer” for the 10-year anniversary of The Black Parade.

The Emotional Roadshow World Tour came to Tucson bringing old songs and the new singles to Tucson Convention Center on February 19.

Twenty One Pilots are signed by Fueled By Ramen. The band originally from Columbus, Ohio won its first Grammy this year for Best Rock Duo/Group Performance for “Stressed Out.”

Band members Tyler Joseph (lead vocalist) and Josh Dun (drummer) took the stage in Tucson for their Emotional Roadshow World Tour.

The openers for the band were Judah & the Lion and Jon Bellion. Judah & the Lion are independent and not signed to a label. The American Alternative band consists of band members Judah Akers (guitar/lead vocals), Brian Macdonald (mandolin/backing vocals), Nate Zuercher (banjo/backing vocals), and Spencer Cross (drums).

Judah & the Lion immediately got the crowd pumped up and on its feet. The band had an awesome stage set up and a variety of sparking lights to complement its setlist.

Akers brought incredible energy to the stage that got the audience’s hands clapping and arms pulsing.

The audience ate up the part of the band’s set where they danced to its cover of “Booty Wurk” by T-Pain. Akers, Macdonald, Zuercher, and Cross all broke out into dance giving it everything they had. The crowd cheered them on and the energy in the room tripled.

Judah & the Lion took every opportunity they had to get the crowd off its feet jumping and singing along.

The band sang a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” which majority of the audience recognized and started belting the lyrics.

Toward the end of their set, they brought out a disco ball and rainbow lights giving Jon Bellion quite the act to follow.

Judah & the Lion played its most popular song “Take It All Back” to end a very memorable set during which fans lit up the arena with cell-phone flashlights.

If the fans weren’t hyped up enough, Jon Bellion took the stage shortly after to give them even more energy.

American singer and songwriter from Lake Grove, New York is signed by Visionary Music Group and Capitol Records.

Jon Bellion had tons of energy from the start, utilizing the entirety of the stage bouncing back and forth. He had multi-colored lights to accompany his eclectic set and had a lot of improvisation with his sound board.

The crowd matched his incredible energy and embraced his improvisation, including a slower version of his song “Guillotine” that quickly sped into the regular version, getting the arms of the crowd pulsing and swaying.

Judah & the Lion weren’t the only ones who brought awesome dance moves to the stage as Jon Bellion broke them out as well.

“Maybe IDK” had awesome drumming and a great contrast of lights.

Fans waved their cell-phone lights in the air and Jon Bellion ended his set with “New York Soul (Part ii).” The white beam lights and extensive energy from the crowd gave Twenty One Pilots the perfect entry for the night.

Unfortunately, Jon Bellion’s microphone was fairly low through his set, making it harder to hear his lyrics and musicality. Despite the minor flaw, his set was still spectacular.

After Jon Bellion’s set, the black curtain cut around the stage, a familiar sight to returning Twenty One Pilots fans who foresee the dramatic curtain drop revealing its incredible stage set up at the beginning of its set.

Twenty One Pilots’ Joseph and Dun took the stage in their red tuxedos and black ski masks with an unforgettable start to the show playing their “Fairly Local” intro transitioning into “Heavydirtysoul.”

With a few more incredible songs off Blurryface as well as a chilling acoustic cover of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and the band’s hit song “Heathens,” its Arizona fans went completely crazy for the duo.

The fans in the pit rushed to the front and the fans in their seats jumped up and reached their hands out in every attempt to reach out and touch them like the lucky die-hards in the mosh pit.

After an exciting first part of the set, Twenty One Pilots made its iconic exit and moved to the back of the arena to its B-stage.

Although they only played a few songs at the B-stage, those songs were among fan favorites. They played “Ode to Sleep” off Vessel, “Addict With a Pen” off their self-titled album, and their cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Cancer.”

The fans in the back of the arena swooned in their three songs of glory where they got to witness Twenty One Pilots in the presence and comfort of a few yards away.

Fans in the pit rushed from the front to the back to witness the intimacy the band created by making such a large space seem like the small Rialto Theater it played back in 2014.

The band made its way back to the main stage for the remainder of its set, and it truly had just begun.

Fans who are familiar with the Emotional Roadshow Tour know the surprises in store for the second half of the set, but the newbies were in for the best shock of their lives.

During “Holding Onto You,” Joseph connects even deeper with the crowd by immersing himself in it. Normally band members just make it into the first three rows or so, but Joseph made it back several rows, making it a point to be in the center middle of the pit, visible by majority of the pit and not just the first few rows.

It’s pretty normal for the band’s lead singer to get into the crowd at some point during the set, but what about the drummer? During “Ride,” Dun brought himself and his drumset onto the famous “drum island” and crowd surfed on top of the mosh pit.

Before this legendary point in the set, Twenty One Pilots welcomed back the openers Judah & the Lion and Jon Bellion to sing a series of cover songs with them.

If fans didn’t have enough yet, Joseph brought a fan onstage with him to play Mario Kart. Joseph won, of course (he’s a pro).

Then, the familiar glisten of red plastic entered the corner of fans’ eyes at the start of “Guns For Hands.” That’s right, the monumental hamster ball that the band uses to maul over the crowd. The question of the night was who would be inside the hamster ball? Most nights, it’s Joseph, but some nights Dun gets inside the ball and sometimes the band even let’s Dun’s brother Jordan or Joseph’s brother Zack take a run over the crowd.

Tucson’s crowd got hit with Dun as he entered the hamster ball and literally ran all over the mosh pit. The fans in the stands watched in awe, suddenly feeling a little more comfortable up in the stands, but also wanting some of the action at the same time.

Joseph ended the night with “Car Radio” by returning to the back of the arena and standing on a podium, visible to the entire arena with his ski mask and electrifying scream.

The band’s encore including “Goner” and “Trees,” even though the crowd for sure would never truly be satisfied with a show like that coming to an end.

“Trees” ended Twenty One Pilots unique set with confetti cannons and with both Joseph and Dun entering the mosh pit once again, this time with platforms and drums.

Fans had tears streaming down their faces, both out of complete speechlessness from the incredible performance and out of passion for the incredible artistry and meaning behind the music this band creates for its fans.

All we can say is thank you, Twenty One Pilots!

You can catch one of Twenty One Pilots’ life-changing concerts at the dates listed on its website here or listen to its music on Spotify.

YouTube | Heavydirtysoul — Twenty One Pilots (Official Video)

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